The Raven
by kiinchu
Summary: If he could rewrite his life, it would go one of two ways: she would be erased from it, or would consume it completely. Things had to be black and white; Itachi Uchiha did not appreciate the grey area that aligned their intertwined souls. COMPLETED.
1. The End

**Chapter One: The End**

* * *

><p>And his eyes have all the seeming<br>Of a demon's that is dreaming,  
>And the lamplight o'er him streaming<br>Throws his shadow on the floor,  
>And my soul from out that shadow,<br>that lies floating on the floor,  
>shall be lifted-nevermore.<p>

- Edgar Allen Poe

* * *

><p><em>Sasuke.<em>

_There's no time for me to explain what is going to happen over the next twenty-four hours - __I just need you to know that this is not your fault._

_You are an avenger, but you must live only for the revenge of your family, and you must not hesitate to stop anyone who gets in your way. __Please remember that when they bring you the news of my death. You have one goal and one goal alone - to become stronger. Avenging me will only hinder your journey._

_Let my soul rest in peace. I do not want to live on through your actions. I want to die here._

_Do not avenge me._

* * *

><p>The room was illuminated by a single candle. Its flames twisted and grew with each passing second, the cracking of the wick roaring louder as red shadows danced on the walls.<p>

The room smelt of death; of blood and rotting flesh, broken bones and disfigured skin. A corpse lay in the corner, still chained to the wall behind it by a single anklet. Face down, red hair spilled over the floor, blending with blackened blood. Whoever found the body would have no question of the cause of death, for the weapon of choice was still protruding from the corpses' back. The means behind the death, however, wouldn't be decided until the autopsy, if there was one at all.

Orochimaru expected the body to be rotten to the core by the time anyone found it. He was excellent at keeping things hidden, and the location of the cell he had contained the body in was one only known to him.

However, even if his expectations weren't met, he knew no one would come after him for it. For once, his actions would have been seen as a good deed towards humanity - the murder of one of Kohana's shinobi would not be held against him this time, which meant he had a few more years of hiding in peace.

Or, so he thought.

The snake had never really considered bonds between shinobi to be like that of brothers. He had torn families and friendship apart on whims, had watched shinobi sacrifice all that was important to them on last minute goals. His strongest vessel had almost killed his best friend and former teammate on the mere hope of gaining more power, and would probably succeed is disposing of them if given another chance. So there was no surprise that he had overlooked those bonds when he shot his sword through his prisoner's heart, pinning her to the ground for what he hoped would be the rest of eternity. He had watched her from the corner of the cell as she had reached out to him, blood falling from her mouth as the life from her glowing red eyes died out and her body grew cold. And when her head fell in defeat all he could do was sigh in relief, thinking that it was over.

But it would never truly be over - the bonds of her life would haunt him, torture him, murder him. A life for a life.

Except that his life was eternal, he had gained sanctuary from death the moment he had decided Shin had to die. The uncontrollable powers of the world had decided to capture his soul for eternity, and torture him for as long as the universe would remain.

And until that day came, the shinobi of the world would do the same.

* * *

><p><em>Itachi.<em>

_This is my final goodbye._

_You had to have known that my time was coming. You should have died the night of the massacre, too, but you didn't because I wouldn't let you. No matter what you'd have yourself believe, you know in your heart that this is true._

_I want to thank you for not telling anyone about me. I am not saying I do not blame you for this, since it was your attempt at my life that woke up this side of me. But your ability to keep secrets saved me some precious time, and I am grateful._

_I have one request for you and I know you will follow through with it, only because deep down I know you still love your brother. Do not let Sasuke come after me. Do not let him fall from his path. Make sure that he remains blind to those around him. I cannot be his downfall as I was yours._

_I know you resent me for the answers I did not give you; therefore my death will also serve as my redemption. Follow the ravens, they will guide you to the truth._

_Goodbye, Itachi._

_ I have always cared for you._

* * *

><p>Kakashi pulled the sword out of the back of the body that lay before him, throwing it to the side before behind down and pulling the girl into his arms. He moved the long, tangled hair from the body's face and sighed.<p>

"Death confirmed," Kakashi spoke to the two ANBU members behind him as he stared into the lifeless eyes of his former comrade. "Natasu Shin, 19 years old."

"How long since the time of death?" One of the ANBU members spoke.

"She disappeared about a month ago, and by the color of the blood she died not long after that. However," Kakashi stopped, touching her face. A small heat was radiating from where cold was not moments ago. "Her body hasn't begun to rot yet. Usually it only takes a few days. Also," he moved his hand to her throat in attempt to find a source of life. "Her body has begun to regain some warmth, but she still has no pulse. She was dead cold not even three minutes ago."

"Maybe it's her body responding to the sword removal," the same masked man replied. "It may have confused the sudden action for a pulse. Sometimes a persons' body will still fight for survival long after it's given up."

Kakashi sighed once more and closed his visible eye, trying to recall any information about the girl in front of him. It wouldn't be uncommon for a persons' bloodline to be the cause of strange bodily reactions in the case of their death, but Kakashi couldn't recall anything significant about her. The only thing for his team to do was bring her body home for an autopsy and proper funeral.

* * *

><p>The funeral had only just begun when the two Akatsuki members entered the village. Sneaking through the gate was easy enough, seeing as the guard unit hadn't been changed since the last time the two had stopped by for a visit. They made their way to the top of the Hokage monument, seating themselves behind the Fourth's nose so that their shadows would blend with that of the mountain.<p>

"Why are we here again, Itachi?" The larger man grumbled, staring down at the rows of people dressed in black.

Follow the ravens, the note had said.

And the ravens had led him home.


	2. What Once Was

**Chapter Two: What Once Was**

* * *

><p><em>We cannot simply see horrible things and wish for them to be better.<em>

_Wishing will change nothing. The course of your future will still be held on to the decision you made to let a certain person or event effect you while you just stood by and wished it hadn't._

_A girl stares at herself in a pond and paints her face for the noble war. She wears her white mask of hatred and her lips are so red it's a shame she didn't paint them with her own blood. Instead, it is the blood of hundreds of others that have dug themselves deep into her soul and taken root. The branches of fallen soldiers pour from the roots of her hair and set flames to the world before her._

_There are silver tears falling from the sockets where her eyes should be. There is a pounding in her chest that cannot be silenced until the last breath leaves her lips, which will take far longer than any normal lifespan._

_The world has awoken and the war has begun._

_She takes her final bow before the mask is removed and the plot begins to spin._

* * *

><p>She was five years old when she first met the man who would inevitably ruin her life.<p>

They had both been admitted to the academy earlier than most based on pure talent. Itachi Uchiha was a prodigy born and raised, while Shin Natasu was a prodigy made from dirt and rags; a foster child to a single civilian whose main income was working part time at a sushi shack down the road from their apartment. The young red haired girl had joined the ninja academy because she would be fully working by the age of 12, making more money than average and repaying her mother for taking her in at such a critical time in her life.

Both of their goals were protection.

For Itachi, it was the village.

For Shin, it was her mother.

Those goals alone should have been enough to unite them as a strong duo force, but sadly the two were more alike than just their abilities. They both lived in isolation due to their status. While Itachi was congratulated for his strength, Shin was exiled - a girl who no moral structure could not be a safe weapon.

They had bumped into each other the day of their orientation. She had been walking home with her head down, the glossy red hair that matted her head hanging in front of her face as if she had already been defeated. She had been up all night dealing with her mother's coughing fits, trying to coax her to sleep before she had to return to work. This left the five year old with two hours of sleep and a full day ahead of her.

She was thinking about dinner when she crashed into the boy's chest and fell to the ground. Normally the young girl would let the incident go, always making it a point to avoid any sort of conflict. Things didn't get to her easily – she had far much more to worry about, but for some reason that day had her on edge and she couldn't help but snap her head up at the boy in front of her with glaring eyes.

However, that is all she did.

Itachi looked down at the girl in front of him, his face blank. She had messy red hair that had been cut so messily that it stuck out all over her head like a porcupine. Her eyes were dark as night, with a light blue tint to them that reflected his own. She was pale and skinny and wore a simple black outfit with no proper design to it whatsoever.

"Excuse me," he said, reaching out his hand as to help her up. It seemed odd to him that she had not said anything, and still continued to say nothing even when her cold hands grabbed his and he lifted her up. "I apologize."

The girl only nodded before walking passed him.

* * *

><p>Dear diary,<p>

Today I met a boy and I was really nervous. He made me mad because he knocked me down and I got dirt all over my clothes, so now I'm going to be made fun of at the academy because I'm dirty. Kaa can't afford the water bill so I can't wash them, and even if I could they would only get stolen when I hang them outside to dry. I was so angry even though I know it's not his fault because I wasn't looking where I was going I'm still going to blame him because he's perfect. We're both the youngest in our class which means we have the same potential but I already know everyone else treats him better than me. We're the same but different and I don't know how that can be.

Anyway, Kaa is sleeping right now which is good because she didn't sleep much last night, even though she still slept more than I did. I wish I could fix her but I don't know what's wrong with her and she won't tell me. I think it's the lack of food. She left leftover sushi on the counter today but I don't want to eat it because then she won't have any food in the morning.

I'm going to try to sleep but I doubt it will happen. I really wish I had a pet to keep me company.

* * *

><p>Dear Diary,<p>

It's been two years since I've entered the academy and today is the day I graduate. They told me 12 was the youngest I could be before I officially earned my title as a shinobi, but today is actually my birthday and I am only 7. The only other people in the entire village to do this well were Kakashi Hatake and Itachi Uchiha. Kakashi is older than me so he's well off already but Itachi is graduating with me tomorrow. People are starting to see me just like they see him, just not as perfect. Wish me luck with telling Kaa! She's either going to be very happy or very upset, I'm not sure.

* * *

><p>Dear Diary,<p>

Kaa still isn't talking to me.

I don't know what I did wrong.

* * *

><p>Diary,<p>

We took Kaa to the hospital today - we as in me and Itachi. I went to bring flowers to Kaa at the sushi shack to apologize for whatever I did wrong and when I got there she wasn't breathing. Her boss was trying to help her but he didn't know anything about it. Itachi saw me and carried her to the hospital while I carried her things. I'm still here, in the waiting room. Itsachi went home an hour ago because had to watch his brother while his dad was at a meeting. It's funny how odd that word sounds to me - Dad. Ever since I left the academy I forgot people were dad's, since I didn't have to see anyone else with theirs.

I wanted to be mad at him but it's not his fault. Nothing I ever get mad at him for is his fault and that only makes me mad at myself.

* * *

><p>"I heard you got assigned to a team today, Shin-chan. Congratulations."<p>

Shin Natasu looked up from the book in her lap and gave a small smile. She still had yet to say more than a few words to the boy in passing since their encounter five years ago, but it did not discourage him from trying. Shin was the closest thing to a friend the young boy had, and he would not give that up simply because she did not like to speak very often.

"Arigatou."

Her voice was barely audible - she was too soft spoken for such rough features. Her messy hair had grown passed her shoulders, but still stook out in spikes due to her previous sheared haircut. Her clothes had become a bit nicer over the years, donning tight black pants and a matching top. Her shinobi headband was tied tightly on her upper arm above a series of bandages that wrapped down to her elbow.

"When do you meet them?"

The girl shrugged. Itachi sighed.

"Oh well, I'll see you later."

She smiled at him, her gaze never faltering as the young man turned and began walking towards his home

* * *

><p>.Dear Diary,<p>

Today I turned 11 and it was the best birthday I've ever had.

Kaa made dinner for me and it was delicious. We sat around hte living and talked and she didn't even cough once. Itachi came over and actually stayed for more than a few minutes. It's so hard being around him because I want so much to be him, and I can't explain that to him because he'll think I'm being selfish. I already know I am, but... I don't know how to explain it even to you, diary. But I think me and him are becoming friends and I kind of like it.

I've never had a friend before.

Itachi and I went to the cherry blossom festival today. This is the first day we actually spent the day together. He's leaving for a mission tomorrow morning and won't be back until a month from now. It's strange because I'm going to miss him, even though we only spend a few minutes together a day. I don't have another mission until next week, and until then it's just going to be me and Kaa.

I wont a stuffed animal at the festival and ate a lot of food. Itachi walked me home afterwards and has probably already made it to his house. He's become a chuunin, which is a great thing and I shouldn't be jealous but I am. I know that I'll pass the exams next year, it just feels weird how he's already ahead of me.

* * *

><p>Kaa is in the hospital.<p>

I'm so scared.

* * *

><p>The doctors said that Kaa can come home tomorrow.<p>

I hope Itachi understands why I cannot be at the gate when he comes home.

* * *

><p>Diary,<p>

Itachi came over and made dinner for Kaa while I was preparing for tomorrow's mission. I wish there was something I could do for him to show my appreciation, but I can't. He'll never truly understand how much that meant to me.

I don't want to leave now that he's home. The world is so lonely.

* * *

><p>It was at this passage that the man had to close the old book and place it back on the shelf. After the funeral had passed, the young criminal detached from his partner and made his way to the poorer side of Kohana.<p>

The apartment complexes seemed to be almost completely cleared out, minus one or two rooms that were occupied in each building. The same, rusty smell lingered in the air and the stray cats still roamed about the dumpsters that littered the back alleyway. Itachi resisted a sigh, only staring at the place with blank eyes as nostalgia creeped through his blood stream like poison.

He remembered coming over at least once a week to spend time with Shin and her mother. It had taken him so long to coax words out of her that he wasn't sure how he had managed to give her up so easily in the end. All that wasted time and effort just for him to make an attempt at her life and run.

Itachi had snuck into her old home with ease, and was almost surprised to find the signs of human life littered about the place. He had heard that Shin disapeared from Kohana a month before her death, which meant that there should not have been fresh dishes in the sink, or dirty clothes litered across the couch. There should have been dust, mold, and grime and there should have been a vacant smell. Instead, the place smelled like freshly cooked break and incense.

Had someone broken into her apartment?

Or had she not been living alone?

The latter seemed almost absurd, seeing as the girl's ability with social interaction was extremely lacking, but he did not rule out the option.

Itachi left the journal on the shelf just in case someone had been living there. He could always come back for it later.

Kirin watched him leave, but did not move from her spot on the windowsill. Her beady eyes followed his movements until he was completely out of sight.

"Come out, Kakashi," the raven spoke. The silver haired man walked out from behind the bathroom door, rubbing the back of his head.

"Why do you think he's back, Kirin?" he asked. The frustration that had been building in his stomach and begun to leak through his pours, the events from the past week or so finally catching up to him. The apartment was lacking without Shin there, even if she didn't say much. There had been some kind of peace between the two, a comfortable silence no one else could fill.

"Shin said to follow the ravens," Kirin replied. "To know who she was. Do you know who she was, Kakashi?"

"If Uchiha Itachi is looking through her things, I don't think I ever did."

Kirin nodded.

By this time Kakashi had taken his seat on the couch, his arm draped around the back of it as if he actually had someone's shoulders to wrap around.

"Are you going to tell me, Kirin?"

"You know I can't do that."

Kakashi nodded.

"Very well."


	3. Bonds

**Chapter Three: Bonds**

* * *

><p>"Let me tell you this: if you meet a loner, no matter what they tell you, it's not because they enjoy solitude.<br>It's because they have tried to blend into the world before, and people continue to disappoint them."

-MSK

* * *

><p>The days seemed to drag by during the months after her death.<p>

Kakashi eventually moved out of the run down apartment the two had shared and into a small, one bedroom studio closer to Naruto's own complex. It had taken him exactly a week to pack all of his things, which hadn't been much to begin with.

He wasn't sure what to do with Shin's possessions. She didn't have much - small furniture, a good handful of clothes, and pocket weapons. At first he debated bringing them with him to serve his memories, but decided against it in the end and gave them to a local charity.

He had moved in with Shin in the beginning of the year after a local robbery had taken place in his own complex. He had been on a mission with Team 7 when a group of bandits had tore the entire place apart and stolen all of his possessions. He had been sitting on a bench not too far off from where the fire haired woman lived when she had come up to him to ask him how the mission had gone. Kakashi had explained to her what had happened not only on the mission, but at his own home, and within ten minutes she was helping him get settled in her own place.

The man wasn't too surprised about the condition of the place. It was a well known fact throughout the village that Shin came from the poorer side of the community. Her mother was a waitress at a sushi shack that was only open for about 15 hours a week, meaning that the income was low if Shin was stiffed on missions and there was no extra spending money for renovations. Kakashi thought he heard Shin say once that it was her goal to save up enough money to buy a house for her mother, but the woman had passed long before she ever came close to the amount necessary.

He had managed to pick the place up within the first few days of living there. Shin had immediately been sent off with her team and he figured having a few days off meant he could repay her for letting him stay. He started small, just picking up the clothes from the ground and sweeping the floors, and eventually made it to the convenient store to buy fresh pain to cover up the holes in the wall. When she had returned, the look on her face was priceless, and she could do nothing but hug the man until her arms gave out.

It had been eight months since then, and he had gotten comfortable calling the place his home.

However, home was where family was, and the only person he considered family besides his own students had just passed away. There was no way he could bear the sight of the place - there were too many memories.

Kirin had disappeared not too long after Itachi had left the village. Kakashi still wondered what there could have been there for the man to have been looking for, not to mention why Shin had told him anything to begin with. Follow the ravens? Only Kirin could direct her flock of birds, and for her to do so meant she had gotten a direct order from Shin herself.

The man sighed and sat down on the couch in the middle of his empty room.

Life would go on, he knew, but he wasn't ready for it to start back up again just yet.

* * *

><p><em>There are moments where I actually believe I am a decent human being.<em>

_I am soaring through the tress on pure chakra control; my arms are extended behind me, cutting through the wind. My hair is flying about my face but I can see in the dark, anyways._

_I am running towards a goal that will inevitably help my village find peace. I am going to follow through on a mission that will protect those around me. I am sacrificing my well being for others. I am a decent human being._

_Then the flames come and I hurt more than I help. I destroy everything I was sent to protect. And I realize I am not decent, and I will never, ever be a human being._

* * *

><p>"Kakashi-kun," a soft voice called. "Dinner?"<p>

The silver haired shinobi looked over from his spot on the couch at the girl behind him.

"Of course, Shin-chan. What are you making?"

He had realized a long time ago that expecting Shin to answer any question that couldn't be answered with a single word was pointless. She didn't talk much at all, really. Everything was simple phrases or hand movements. Her ability to stay calm even in the most dire situations is what made her an excellent shinobi - an ANBU by the mere age of 16 - but it is also what made it hard for her to associate with people on a regular basis.

He was greeted with a plate just a few moments later, an assortment of rice and chicken scattered around it. She wasn't the best cook, but she made an effort, which was all that really mattered at the end of the day.

She sat in front of him on the floor and they ate in silence. When he finished, he brought his plate to the sink and began the dishes.

After all his years of living, he had finally felt like his life had just begun._  
><em>

* * *

><p><em> After all this time, I wonder.<em>

_Whose memories will I live through if I am destined to outlive everyone I care about?_

* * *

><p>Itachi drew in a deep breath before entering the cave where his partner was waiting. Kisame looked up from his spot on the floor with a grin, the anticipation that had building up upon Itachi's return finally ceasing. He didn't understand the strange behaviors his partner had started exhibiting after they entered Kohana, how he seemed more distant than usual, his eyes carrying something other than unconditional cruelty.<p>

"Let's go, Kisame. Leader is waiting."

"Aye, aye. I'm on it Itachi. I was the one waiting for you, remember?"

The younger man didn't reply, instead away from his partner to begin walking towards the exit of the cave, his hand sticking out of his cloak as to attack at any moment.

Kirin had taken him home only to lead him to what seemed like a dead end. He knew the raven couldn't explain anything, that he had to figure out this mystery on his own, but he expected more than the vast terrain that was Kohana.

What was going home going to do for him? The only thing he had figured out that he hadn't already known was that there was a possibility that Shin hadn't been living alone. Had he been sent on this ridiculous quest just for her to prove to him that she had moved on? She had never been as petty as that - to make him jealous, even after her time had passed.

The entire situation was frustrating. He had more pressing matters to deal with than playing hide and go seek with the mystery of his dead memory of his past life.

But giving up would not be that simple. She was hiding something that could be critical information to not only Kohana and the Akatsuki, but to Itachi's only plans as well.

Don't let Sasuke avenge me, she had said.

If Sasuke deterred from his goal to avenge her at the hands of Orochimaru, then there was a chance that Itachi would die before him and his brother ever got a chance at confrontation. Everything the man did would have been for nothing - he would have slain everyone closest to his heart for unjustifiable cause, and in the end his brother's life would be just as much of a waste as Itachi's own death.

Why did she have to die?

The one person in the world that was able to keep Sasuke at bay, able to keep him alert and focused, had walked into her own death. It technically wasn't a suicide, since Orochimaru had been the one to stop her heart, but she had still walked into that man's base with the intenet to be killed.

Itachi was holding onto the hope that whatever secret Kirin was going to help him uncover would be enough to settle his brother's need for revenge and make the boy once again focus on his own murder.

* * *

><p><em>D,<em>

_I wonder how long I have to make the people around me suffer._

_I want to disappear, find a small place in the woods and never look back. I want to be contained in a cell and barred from human interaction. I want to be free, but to do that I must be imprisoned. Why does no one else see this?_

_I've given myself a break from missions, offering no explanation to the Hokage as to why I am not suitable for combat. He said he understood, to come back when I was ready, but how can I? I'm only fourteen and I'm all alone. My best friend tried to kill me and in return I killed my own mother. I am a menace to society and do not deserve anything more than the means of survival._

_The wound where Itachi's sword broke through my chest has finished healing without even a scar left in its place, but the burning in my skin has only become more prominent._

_The flames have died down, barely extending past the follicles on my skin, but they never stop. I'm so confused as to not only why I haven't burned to death, but as to how I have not acquired a single wound from the constant exposure._

_I want to believe that what Kaa told me is a lie, I want to believe that everything I've known up to this point is still the truth and my entire life has not been an abundance of filler chapters waiting to catch up to the main plot line. I want to believe it, but I have this disgusting gut feeling that she was telling the truth._

_I want to blame Itachi for this. I want to blame him for everything. I hate that man more than I hate myself at this point. If he hadn't tried to kill me, I truly believe I could have lived in ignorance. If he had at least succeeded in killing me, Kaa would still be alive._

_If I ever see Itachi Uchiha again, I will murder him with my own hands._

* * *

><p>"I leave tomorrow, Itachi."<p>

The thirteen year old boy looked at his comrade with a small sigh. It had taken her only two minutes to say something this time, which was a miracle along with a hindrance. Her shyness had been a fun game to get passed at first, but now he wished it would just go - that she would just go. Having a friend was slowly but surely becoming the young captains biggest burden.

"Itachi? Are... are you okay?"

The boy closed his eyes.

"Of course I am, Shin-chan."

Shin nodded, taking a seat next to Itachi under the old tree in the training grounds.

They sat in silence for what felt like hours. Shin had used up all of her energy just trying to insinuate a conversation with him. If he wasn't interested, that was fine. She wasn't going to push him because he never pushed her - too hard, at least. She just wanted some company before she was sent off to the Sand Village. Her mother had been working double shifts lately now that the shack had extended their hours, which made the run down apartment too lonely for comfort.

"How's your mother?"

"She hasn't been too sick lately. Just tired," she replied, moving her arms behind her head and slouching more into the tree. "Sasuke?"

"Growing. He shows a lot of potential."_  
><em>

"As much as you?"

Itachi shook his head. "My father is not very happy about it."

Shin didn't reply to this because she simply did not know how to. She didn't understand the expectations of fathers simply because no figure had ever existed in her life. She barely knew the expectations of mothers, seeing as hers spent most of her time sleeping or hunched over the toilet, spewing her guts out of her mouth.

"How long are you going to be gone for, Shin-chan?"

"No less than a week."

The relief that flooded through the young man's mind was more than he could have asked for.

He would be gone before she returned.

* * *

><p><em>There are times where I look at him and I know. I know there is no one in the world I would rather call my friend.<em>

_I am insanely jealous of him and his talent. I am also jealous of him and his family. A bond between so many people so close and strong that nothing could come inbetween it. I am jealous of Sasuke and his love for his older brother. I am so, so, jealous of him._

_But I do not resent him for having the things I want._

_Because he has all these things but he still chooses to spend his time with me. He has all the things anyone could ever want, but in his spare time he takes comfort in being with me._

_I have never felt special before, but if what I'm feeling now is what special feels like, I never want it to go away. I never want anything to change._

_I want it to be me and him against the world. Fighting for righteousness. Fighting for the village._

_Fighting for each other._

_I will protect him with my life._

_And I'm certain he will do the same for me._

* * *

><p>"Ita...Ita..."<p>

_What have you done?_

What words did a person say to someone who had just betrayed everyone they had ever cared about?

She closed her eyes and tried to focus on her breathing but her lungs were failing her. The blood of hundreds of people were creeping through her veins at a rapid pace and it was as if she could feel the pain of every single body that littered the grounds.

Tears began to fall down her cheeks and she screamed as loud as she could.

"_ITACHI!"_


	4. Massacre

**Chapter Four: Massacre**

The world was spinning before her; the reality her and Itachi had created together had become a constant comfort, and now he was ripping it away from her with every passing second. The calm composure she had managed to hold up over the year was slowly slipping with each tear that fell from her black eyes.

She stepped back, trying to get the smell of blood out of her system but it wouldn't stop.

Where was he? She had seen him draw the sword from his cousin's back, but he had fleed before she had a chance to stop him.

Could she stop him?

Sure, the two were matched in skill, but he still had advanced much quicker than she had. They had started together, but finished with him in the lead, which inevitably would predict his victory in their upcoming confrontation.

That was, if she could find him.

Shin wiped the tears from her face and breathed in quickly. She could not allow herself to overreact. Losing her cool would only take back everything she had ever learned as a ninja. Thinking illogically, allowing her emotions to control her actions and words would only lead to failure.

With a sigh, the girl opened her eyes and began her sprint toward's the main Uchiha house.

* * *

><p>Shin screamed and fell to her knees, her face hanging over the limp body's that were Itachi's parents. She was trying so hard to stay calm and collect, but the expression the two clan leaders had died with had been one of complete and utter shock. That their own son would... Shin closed her eyes.<p>

For so long she had wanted what Itachi had; a family that loved and trusted him, a little brother that looked up to him, the ability to please everyone around him... And he had gone and thrown it all away.

The girl gasped from her sudden realization, standing up and running towards the door. She had only found two bodies in a house of four.

Sasuke could still be alive, and she had to find him before Itachi did.

She found both of them in a matter of minutes, resisting the urge to barrel into Itachi full force and knock him out and instead coming to a calming stop besides one of the taller homes in the compound.

Shin focused her chakra paths in both her ears and her feet; her ears to hear the conversation being exchanged between the two, and her feet so that she could be at Sasuke's aid the moment he needed it.

Three point five seconds.

That's all it took for Itachi to disappear from sight, leaving his little brother there crying. Shin could barely sense him, leaving her to make the assumption that he had left completely. She almost sighed in relief - almost - had it not been for the sharp flint of metal that was soon pressed against her back.

"Shin."

She closed her eyes. Three, two, one.

"Itachi."

Breathe. One, two.

"What are you doing here?"

Words, Shin. Find your words.

"What...are you doing?" She mirrored back to him, her eyes still closed.

"You're mission was supposed to last all week," she could sense the tension ins his voice, the instability that he had never shown to her finally shoving itself through his vocal chords. The sword pressed to her back was shaking, as if he was nervous. What right did he have, she wanted to laugh, to be nervous at a time like this?

"I came back early, so I could see you before... you left with ANBU," she whispered. Her response made Itachi wince; his eyes narrowed, his grip on the sword tightened, and he breathed in and out ever so slowly. He could not allow her to affect the status of this mission. He had to...

He swallowed.

"Ita-"

The sword penetrated her back in one swift motion, slidingout of the front of her torso with ease. She didn't scream, not even once, as the blood began to pour from her chest and her mouth.

"-chi," was all that mattered to slip out of her lips before she fell face first into the cement.

He turned, sheathed his sword, and prepared to leave Kohana.

* * *

><p><em>It started with my heartbeat.<em>

_My pulse slowed down immensely and the pounding in my chest got harder with every hit._

_I was dying. Bleeding out of my chest and coughing up the remaining blood out of my mouth._

_I could hear his footsteps as he walked away from me._

_One, two, three._

_He was leaving._

_Forever, probably._

_And that in itself was more painful than him trying to kill me._

_My eyes opened, and they were burning my skull._

_My skin felt like I was on fire._

_And when I could finally focus my pupils, I realized..._

_I was on fire._

_I was burning._

_But I was still breathing. And moving. And functioning._

_And I had to stop him._

_I had to stop him from leaving me._

_Because Itachi Uchiha was my best friend, and I wanted to believe that I knew him better than I knew myself. And because of this I wanted to believe that he had a reason for this, because he always had a reason for everything. He was reasonable. He was smart. He was a prodigy._

_He was perfect._

_When I stood up that night, red flames blazing around my body - and what I would later learn is that my coal eyes had turned a burning red as well, I called to him with more assertion and certainty than I had ever had before. And when he turned to look at me, I saw a piece of perfection disappear from his face. I saw his eyes widen in fear, saw his hand slip. I saw his imperfection, and it infuriated me so much that I screamed as loud as I could._

_And everything around me began to burn._

* * *

><p>"KAA!"<p>

The brunette woman looked up from her spot on the couch, her deep brown eyes widening at the sight of her daughter. Her unusually dark eyes were a glowing crimson, and her entire body was covered in red flames.

"Shin..."

"Kaa..." there were tears falling out of her eyes now.

"What happened? Are you... are you bleeding? Why are your clothes torn?"

"Do you not see the rest of me?" Shin asked, her voice louder than usual. The woman stood up and began walking towards her daughter, but Shin only backed up with each step she took.

"Don't touch me, I'll hurt you."

"No, you won't," her mother said, trying to reassure her daughter. "Please, just tell me what happened."

"Itachi... he," she covered her mouth with her hands in attempt to hide the trembling that was taking place, but the sobs had already made their way up her stomach and into her throat. "He... killed me. Tried to...kill me."

"And this happened after he tried to kill you?"

The calmness in her mother's voice was almost soul shaking, the way her face remained still and alert when her daughter was burning before her eyes unnerved Shin in the worst way. She could only nod in response.  
>"What's happening to me?" she sobbed, falling to her knees.<p>

"You're... changing," her mother said, kneeling in front of her daughter and placing her hands on her knees. "You need to calm down, okay? The most tense you are, the more the flames will grow. I taught you to be calm, didn't I? I know this sounds harsh, but from this point on you cannot feel anything except contempt, do you understand me? You need to stop feeling right now."

Shin looked up at her mother, her eyes still shining red. The woman forced a small smile onto her face, trying to calm her daughter into believing everything was going to be okay.

"Why did Itachi try to kill you?"

Shin's eyes widened at the question, which sounded more like an accusation than anything else.

"Kaa.."

"Shin, please answer me. Did he try to kill you because of your... eyes?"  
>"I need you to speak, Shin," her mother's voice was strong, so much different than what she was used to. It scared her. "Did Itachi try to kill you because of your eyes?"<p>

"No," Shin practically screamed, her voice cracking. "He killed everybody!"

"Okay, okay," her mother replied, putting her hands up in defense. "I just... we can't have anyone knowing about this, okay? You need to calm down, please. If you don't calm down these flames will never disappear and your eyes will never stop burning."

"I can't calm down, Kaa... I don't know whats happening to me."

It was hard to miss the tears forming in the woman's eyes.

"You... Shin, you know I'm not your real mother, right?"

Shin didn't respond.

"Of course you knew," the woman sighed. "We don't look anything alike, do we? Have you ever wondered who your mother was, or even more... your father?"

The girl didn't respond.

"Shin, I need you to speak!"

She looked up, her eyes squinted and glaring at the woman before her. Who was she to yell at her like that? After all she had done to take care of her, to comfort her, to support her, just for her mother to lie to her for her entire existence?

"What do you want from me!?" she yelled, clenching her fists and pounding them into the ground so hard that the entire apartment building began to shake. The fire around her body was rising, consuming the air around the both of them. "You want me to be calm, to not feel, but you still want me to speak? How can I talk about this without getting angry!? How can I not feel, mother, when you've been keeping this from me?"

"Please, calm dow -"

"I will NOT CALM DOWN," she yelled, standing to her feet and towering above her mother with the most frightening expression on her face. "Tell me what's happening!"

She stomped her foot on the ground in frustration, as if she was still a child tying to get her way through means of a tantrum. However, unlike a child, the stomp contained power - enough that all the frames on the wall began to shatter.

"Shin, no stop -"

But it was too late - the flames had grown too wild, too free from the mass amounts of frustration that was leaking through the girl's chakra system. The fury built inside her was enough to keep her blinded up until her mother let out a heart-wrenching scream and was consumed in the glowing red darkness right before her very eyes.


	5. Home

**Chapter Five: Home**

* * *

><p><em>I need you to speak, Shin."<em>

_I need you..._

_...to speak."_

* * *

><p><strong>The Day After<strong>

After the incident, the Hokage, knowing her relationship with the teenage murderer, had come looking for her. That's where he had found her passed out on the kitchen floor with burn marks covering her body. Her foster mother's body was not too far away, covered in burns much worse than Shin's own.

With a sigh, the old man knelt down next to the young girl and placed a small seal on her neck. He counted his blessings that the flames had dispersed before hand. If they hadn't, the seal would be much weaker than it already was.

He would not let anyone know of the young girl's part in the death of the local waitress. If anything, the death would be put off as a causality from Itachi's attack. Shin would return to missions when the time was right, and she could continue on as a normal citizen.

The Hokage picked the girl up is his arms and exited the house. He would bring her to the hospital to tend to her wounds, which would give him enough time to assess the situation at hand. Sarutobi had been set on Shin never knowing the truth. He had expected her to gain some of her father's genetics - he would have been a fool not to, but after thirteen years of life he thought that maybe, just maybe she was safe.

He would not make that mistake again.

* * *

><p>Sarutobi watched as the ANBU cleaned up the mess. Sasuke Uchiha had been placed in the ICU just hours before Shin had, which meant that he would be released soon. He wanted the young boy to have the option to come home, and knowing the stubborn nature of Uchiha mean, he expected he would. It was the least he could do to be able to make the compound look semi-presentable for him.<p>

"What is the estimated time frame?"

"About an hour, Sir," one of the ANBU responded. The man nodded, turned away, and began his treck towards the hospital.

* * *

><p>"How are you feeling?"<p>

The young girl looked up as the Third Hokage entered the room. He noticed her hands; one lingering on her chest, the other gripping the sheets underneath her. She wore the typical hospital gown, with her hair pulled back into a short stub on the back of her head.

When the Hokage realized she was not going to speak, he pulled up a chair to the side of the bed and sat down. He took time to assess the damage on her body. The medic ninja had managed to fix most of the burns, leaving only a few on her arms and face left to heal.

They sat in silence for what felt like hours, until the nurse came back to change her IV and bring her food. Shin only stared at it, refusing to eat.

"Shin," the Hokage spoke. "Do you recall anything that happened last night?"

Shin turned her head away from him and gave a small nod.

"I want you to know no ill will to happen to you."

Her coal eyes widened, tears starting to form at the corner of her eyes.

"You will be released from the hospital today. Your apartment is currently being cleaned out, so I have arranged for you to stay at a motel for a few days before you return. I have informed your team that you will be taking leave and will return when the time is right."

At this, Shin gripped her chest tighter.

The Hokage stood, preparing to leave. Before he made it to the door, however, the girl spoke.

"Why?" Her voice was soft. "Why are you helping me? I... I killed my mother..."

"Rest up, Shinwari."

It was as the Hokage closed the door that a single, black raven landed on the window sill beside her.

* * *

><p><strong>Two Weeks AM<strong>

Today was the day.

Shin looked over at the raven perched on her shoulder.

"Are you ready, Kirin?"

A small caw echoed from the bird's throat in agreement.

With a sigh, the red head opened the doors and began her trek towards the Hokage office.

She had gone to demand answers. The girl expected resistance, or at least somewhat of an argument, but the man was blunt. He spoke of a woman named Rei who had fallen in love with an evil creature, and was executed for it. It was only after that the village discovered she had given birth to a child, and as acting Hokage the man had decided to keep the baby safe as redemption for the pain his citizen's has caused.

"Rei was your birth mother," the Hokage finished, resting his head on his hands looking at her over them. "And your father was a demon more powerful than the tailed beasts combined."

"The Village claims to protect it's citizens," Shin had wailed, her voice cracking. "To keep them safe from harm. Yet, as soon as something or someone is viewed as a threat, they exile them. They kill them. How is that right? How is this Village one of peace? How could this place be so well respected yet so... cruel."

It was at this point her blood pressure spiked, and the seal the Third had placed on her neck began to falter. Her coal black eyes began to glow, shifting before his very eyes.

"I want to leave," she spoke, before turning her head to look at the raven perched on her shoulder. "_We_ want to leave."

"If you leave Kohana at a time like this, there could be ill will towards you. The citizens know of your closeness with Itachi, they may assume you are joining."

"Then tell them I'm not," she replied. "Or how about you just tell them the truth?"

And with that, the girl left the Hokage's office, slamming the door behind her.

* * *

><p><strong>Seven Weeks AM<strong>

Shin grabbed her wrist, hoping that some amount of pressure would calm the red flames that were shooting from her skin. The power was almost unbearable.

It had been seven weeks since Itachi's attack and her mother's death. She had excluded herself to a small cabin not too far off from Kohana's gates. Her biggest fear was causing harm to innocent people; not only for their safety, but for her own. She would be hunted just like her birth mother if anyone found out who she was, though there was a sinking feeling in her stomach that told her that her execution would be much worse.

Why were people so afraid of what they couldn't understand? Why did they want to destroy things that are foreign, even who those things meant no harm? She didn't get it at all, and what she did get was what fate had in store for her - to be burnt at the stake just as her mother had, except unlike her mother they would frind up her bones just to make sure she couldn't come back to life.

Shin looked over to her small friend, perched on the window sill of the small cabin.

"Kirin, how do I stop this?" She cried, biting her lip in frustration and gripping her wrist harder. The raven only let out a small caw, shaking her head in her master's direction.

It was at that moment there was a small echo of laughter. She looked up, trying to find which direction it was coming from, but there was no specific place. The laughter echoed off the walls around her, bouncing back and forth as if to torment her.

"Hatred," the same voice rang. "All of your hatred."

Of course she had hatred - she had been given life by one of the most dangerous and cruel beings to ever set foot on this earth, or so she had been told. The woman she loved as a mother had never actually been her mother to begin with, and her birth mother had been killed off by her own family, for crying out loud. Not to mention had it not been for her best friend's attempt at her life, she would have never unleashed this side of her to begin with. She could have lived in ignorance for the rest of her life and had been happy.

Instead, she was reduced to seclusion, with no one's company except her own and Kirin.

"Hatred, it's your hatred," the voice laughed. "You will kill everything."

Shin covered her ears and screamed in frustration - shut up shut up shut up - which only caused the flames to grow larger and expand from her entire body.

"Told you ~"

Just as she was about to scream again, the door in front of her blew open, leading a trail of wind through the cabin that only intensified her flames. She stopped, wide eyed from the sudden motion.

"Whose there?" She asked, her eyes narrowing in suspense. She couldn't feel any chakra, but she knew there was someone there. Call it demon intuition or pure insanity, but she was not wrong.

Footsteps echoed throughout the cabin, but there was still no one with her. Kirin flew from her spot on the window, landing on the girl's should and staring at the doorway intensely.

"Show yourself, coward."

The laugh that came this time echoed so loud she could have sworn the entire forest heard it.

"Coward."

The voice was deep and menacing, leaving her immediately regretting her choice of words.

"Coward."

Shaking.

Shin was shaking.

"Please, Shinwari-chan. Is that any way to great your father?"

She stopped shaking.

Stopped moving completely.

The universe had stopped on it's tilt.

He did not, could not, would not exist.

* * *

><p>She could hear her mother's voice echoing throughout her head.<p>

"I need you to speak, Shin."

I need you...

She needed her to speak, needed her to talk for once in her life and she just couldn't form the words.

What had happened to her?

How did she get like this?

* * *

><p>"I have no father," was her reply after what seemed like hours of silence. The only response to her statement was one of cynical laughter.<p>

"Shinwari, it's been thirteen years. I expected a more exciting reunion than this."

"You're in my head. I can't see you. You're in my head."

She was on the ground now, leaning against the wooden walls and puling at her hair. The flames had only begun to grow stronger, burning the wood that was holding her up.

"Shinwari, do you think I have a physical form?"

"Stop."

"Shinwa-"

"Stop calling me that!"

The flames around her grew with her voice, catching on to the furniture and setting in ablaze. Tears were streaming down her face a rapid rate, her lips quivering more with every passing second.

"Just...go away."

"But I've only just arrived. We have so much lost time to make up for."

Shin could hear the taunting tone of his voice, could feel the smirk on invisible lips. It made her want to scream and thrash her legs like she did when she was a little girl who didn't understand why everyone else's father came home to them every night, why everyone else looked so much like their parents, and why she was just so different... She wanted to throw a tantrum so loud and powerful that Satan himself would run from her.

Because that's what she wanted, him to run. She wanted him to fear her and what she had become because of him.

"Why are you so..." he took a pause, as if to reassess his line of thinking. Shin looked up in the direction of the sound waves, her eyes blazing red. She missed the darkness, the calming peace of cleansed pupils. The light was blinding, burning the inside of her skull. "Pitiful?"

This got her attention. Her eyes narrowed, the rage and hatred that was building inside of her electrocuting her body with each syllable.

He laughed again, obviously knowing the trick he had just pulled had followed through.

"Isn't the daughter of a demon supposed to be... hm, what is the word I'm looking for? Strong...Determined..No... visious? No. Ha. I got it - unstoppable. Yet here you are, already defeated. Do you want to know why I gave you my flames? It simply wasn't just because you're my daughter. That would be very... out of character."

"Just tell me how to stop them," she moaned. "Please. I don't want to hurt anyone anymore..."

"You don't need to stop them, you just need to control them. That's why I'm here. To teach you."

"Why don't I believe you?"

"Because, my little fireball. There is always a catch."

The fire that had spread throughout the cabin suddenly dispersed, leaving only the smell of burnt wood and hopelessness.

* * *

><p><strong>Three Years AM<strong>

"It's getting warmer, Kirin."

The raven was perched on it's master's shoulder, staring at the gates ahead of them. It had been three years since Shin had left Kohana, three years since Itachi Uchiha had murdered his family and made an attempt at her life, and three years since she had met her father - inevitably training under him to become the person she was today.

Shin looked over at her small friend, black eyes meeting black. "Shall we?"

The bird let out a small caw and flew toward's the village.

* * *

><p>Kakashi Hatake was standing at attention in front of the Third Hokage when a raven perched on the window beside him.<p>

Of course, standing at attention for the Copy Cat ninja was really just a slouched posture with a ratty, orange book resting in his hand.

"Naruto Uzamaki, Sasuke Uchiha, and Sakura Haruno," Sarutobi read from the sheet in front of him. "Kakashi, are you even listening to me?"

Kakashi didn't respond, only continued to stare at the bird in front of him.

"Kakashi!"

"Pardon me, Hokage-sama. But... have you acquired a pet raven?"

Sarutobi turned, the look on his face never faltering.

"Shin."

The raven nodded at the man in understanding, and began it's flight back towards the gate to let it's master know she was welcomed home.

* * *

><p>There was a team of ANBU waiting for the girl at the gate. Though she could not see their faces, she could sense their chakra well enough to know that there were two males and two females. Without being told, Shin removed the katana from her back and placed it on the ground between them. She lifted her arms up, suggesting they check her for any other weapons. One of the female ANBU came over, patting the girl down quickly and efficiently before picking the weapon up from the ground.<p>

"Lord Hokage wishes to speak with you."

Shin nodded, holding out her arm. The ANBU watched as the small raven flew from the trees, landing on her forearm and staring straight at the team.

"Please lead me to him."

* * *

><p>Sarutobi could only stare as the young woman approached him. It had only been three years since Shin Natasu's departure from Kohana, and he could already see the maturity that was practically radiating off her skin. Her hair had grown extraordinary lengths, pulled back into a slick ponytail. She had become more of a woman, though still skinny, and continued to wear the same black attire as she did as a child. However, the most striking think about her was her eyes.<p>

Both blood red.

Glowing.

She seemed to have noticed him staring, because it was at that moment she closed her eyes. When she re-opened them they were the ones he remembered - coal black. Lifeless.

"To what does Kohana owe this pleasure?"

"I wish to return home."

"After all this time? What if you are a threat to Kohana?"

"I left to protect Kohana," was all she had to argue back. The Hokage sighed, closing his eyes and placing his chin on his hands.

"I want to trust you, I really do. But when a shinobi abandons their duty to their Village, it's hard to accept them back. Are you here for Kohana, Shin. Or are you here for sanctuary?"

* * *

><p><em>Father says I am growing stronger by the day.<em>

_The flames have died down and now can only be released when he chooses so. He has promised that once he feels I am ready, he will teach me how to release them on my own. I know it's foolish to believe him, to believe that such a cruel creature would help me - especially when he was the one who did this to me in the first place, but I feel as if it is all I have. I can either trust him like a fool, or let my power destroy everything._

_He works me day and night. I've had maybe five hours of sleep total the past three weeks, but I do not complain. I just follow orders, hoping that someday I will be free from him again._

_He insists on calling me Shinwari, as if Shin is not enough for him. He puts me on edge on purpose, trying to coax me to speak. I think I've forgotten how to._

_All my life I dreamed of having a family. A mother, a father, maybe a few siblings that looked up to me as some sort of hero. Instead, I got this life and I am expected to make the best out of this._

_I want to go home. I miss Kohana dearly, but I know there is nothing left for me there. Only memories._

_And living in the past will get me nowhere._

* * *

><p><strong>Six Months AM<strong>

"You must be an idiot."

It took all her energy not to scream and starting throwing balls of fire in his direction. Even admist all her anger she could still think logically enough to know it would do no good. Her attacks would only harm the animal her father had possessed, and she would end up feeling more guilty than relieved. Instead, she cocked her head towards the black cat sitting on the rock, staring at her with its beady red eyes.

"It's in the wrist. I don't even have a body and I know that," he chuckled, his laughter getting louder by the second. It didn't matter how much time the girl spent with him, she was still creeped out by it. The way it was so deep and scratchy, echoing throughout the forest every time the creature found something funny. And damn, everything was funny to him. Especially the girl's downfalls.

She turned away for him, holding her hands back up and closing her eyes.

One, two, three.

She flicked her wrists, barely feeling anything as two balls of fire erupted from her palms and hit the tree in front of her.

"There you go," he cooed. "Again."

* * *

><p><strong>Three Years AM<strong>

The girl was escorted out of the Hokage's office by the same four ANBU who had met her at the gate. They were instructed to take her back to the apartment complex she had grown up with, and watch her until the Hokage made a decision on whether or not Kohana would willing accept her back. Shin knew Sarutobi would never kick her out, no matter how much he pretended he would, but the Elder's were a different story. They were much too old fashioned, too cold hearted to offer any sympathy for the girl. And she would have bet anything that they knew exactly who - or what - she was the moment she stepped back into Kohana. The Hokage may have been able to keep her safe before, but she wasn't stupid enough to think he could keep her safe forever. After the massacre and the fire, and the death of her mother, the council had to know something was up.

She walked up the stairs in the old complex with ease, opening the door with a key that had been buried in a long dead plant outside the door. She didn't ask the ANBU if they wanted to come in before slamming the door in all of their faces.

The place looked just how she had left it - in ruins. There had been some areas of the apartment that had been wrapped up after she had left, to contain the items that were not destroyed in the fire, but besides that everything was the same. She made her way back to her old room, opening the window to let Kirin in before bothering to look around. An old ratty mattress and a small night stand were the only things left, both covered in dust after three years of being vacant.

"Shinwari," Kirin spoke, landing on the windowsill. "Are we staying?"

Shin only shook her head.

"Go find my father."

* * *

><p>She stayed in the apartment for three days.<p>

It was only when her body was about to completely give out on her did she realize that, while sleep wasn't exactly a necessity for her anymore, food still was.

She threw on casual black pants and a matching black jacket before exiting. She raised her hand to the ANBU to signal her departure, and it was no surprise that two of them decided to follow her through town. How long would it take for Sarutobi to make his decision, she wondered, trying to block the presence of the two ninja behind her. _When will I get my sanctuary?_

* * *

><p><strong>"I want to trust you, I really do. But when a shinobi abandons their duty to their Village, it's hard to accept them back. Are you here for Kohana, Shin. Or are you here for sanctuary?"<strong>

**The girl closed her eyes.**

**"Sanctuary."**

* * *

><p><strong>One Year AM<strong>

The red head fell to the ground with a thump, the tree that had been so carelessly thrown at her landing on top of her back. She did not cry out from the pain, instead burying her face in the ground and gripping onto the grass underneath her with all her strength.

"Get up."

She shook her head, trying to suppress the tears that were forming in the corners of her eyes.

"I said, GET UP."

His voice echoed through the forest, scaring the birds and shaking the trees. She still refused, only holding onto the grass tighter.

How long had it been now? And she still could not defeat him.

She was too weak to defeat someone who _wasn't even there_.

She heard a snap, and suddenly the girl was engulfed in flames. Her eyes were burning, her skin was beginning to char, and she could do nothing except lay there and cry. With each snap, the flames grew, consuming the forest around her.

"Get up, Shin. Or everything in this forest will die because of you."

"S-s-stop it," she muttered. "Please, stop it."

"Only you can stop it. It's time you learned how to control my flames. It's time you learned your purpose. I will not waste time on a weakling, not even my own daughter."

Suddenly was a sharp pain penetrating the back of her spine. All she could do was scream.

* * *

><p><em>I am not strong and I am not brave.<em>

_I am not worthy of being a ninja._

_I am not worthy of being._

_I am weak and selfish and helpless._

_I am left to wonder if that's what Itachi saw in me all along._

* * *

><p><strong>Two Years AM<strong>

"We're almost done here," her father spoke from the body of a mountain lion. The host fit him well; a vicious, fierce creature, whose only instinct was survival.

Shin only stared at him, waiting for him to continue. The demon had long given up on trying to get his daughter to speak. She only spoke when she was fearful, when she thought it was her only choice, but in the two year time span he had managed to wipe any fear she had completely off of the map. So now she was silent, almost a mute.

"I will give you one last gift, my daughter," the lion began creeping closer to her. "Kirin."

The girl continued to stare. Kirin could not be giving to her, the raven was already hers.

"I will give her the ability to speak."

Wind began to swirl around them as the lion's eyes glowed brighter.

"She will guide you on your journey. Remember, devil child. Everything always comes at a price."

The lion fell to the ground, dead.

He was gone.

Shin looked over to the raven on the tree, waiting for her to speak. The bird only nodded her head, as if to confirm that yes, she could, but she wouldn't dare.

"Kirin," she practically mumbled.

"I will only speak when you do," was the bird's only response and she glided from the tree, landing on her master's shoulder.

Her father's gift had not been Kirin's voice, but her own.


	6. Sanctuary

**Chapter Six: Sanctuary **

* * *

><p><em>The Third believes that I am of no ill will to the Village, and wishes to test me as to what rank to place me under.<em>

_He did not even question if I wanted to rejoin the shinobi world, which leads me to question whether or not I even have a choice in the matter. _

_My battle will be against Kakashi Hatake tomorrow at noon. _

_As grateful as I am for acceptance, I cannot help but wonder why._

_Everything comes at a price._

* * *

><p><strong>Two Years AM<strong>

Shin slung her bag over her shoulder and headed out the door.

If she had been a sentimental person, she would have lingered outside the cabin that had become her home for the past two years. However, she was ready to forget that place altogether. Sure, the cabin in the woods made her what she was, but she was ready to be someone else.

She needed to return to Kohana. Needed to start over.

Needed to forget.

She let her hand rest over her chest, the same spot where her former best friend had tried to take her life. Though she healed instantly, the sport still ached every now and then. Sharp pains would shoot through her body rapidly, almost paralyzing her each time. They only lasted a few seconds each time, but it felt like an eternity in her eyes.

With a sigh, she turned towards Kirin, who had been resting on the same rock her father had grown accustom to watching her from.

* * *

><p>Returning to Kohana had not been so simple.<p>

The year that followed the demon's departure was not one of hope and promise as she had tried to expect. That her father had been so sentimental as to give her his gift had instilled a false hope inside her that made her believe that things might finally be okay. That thought left her as soon as she saw _him_.

She had been heading towards Kohana's gate when she was stopped by a rather tall, lanky man with a crooked smile.

"My, my. What do we have here?"

Shin said nothing to the man whose skin was pale as snow. He had long, unruly black hair, golden eyes, and was almost as skinny as she was. Shin glanced at Kirin, still perched on her shoulder.

"Are you lost?"

Shin shook her head. She knew where she was going.

"You look lost," the man said, beginning to step closer to her. She noticed his posture, and how he walked with a slight limp. "Do you need help?"

"No," she replied, her voice barely audible. "I don't.

"Well," he said, a small smirk edging it's way onto his lips. "You do now."

He disappeared out of sight, and Shin quickly grabbed the sword from her back. Stand your ground, she reminded herself, positioning the sword in front of her. Be prepared from all angles.

The man appeared behind her, but not quickly enough. She ducked just in time for his kick to miss her head, instead swinging her legs out from underneath her and kicking him right in the ankles. The man tumbled down, and she was on him in an instant with her legs straddling his hips and her sword blade up to his throat.

Kirin landed on her shoulder, staring down at the man.

"Who are you?" Shin growled, her eyes glowing a bright red. The man chuckled and grabbed her wrist, flipping her over him and onto the ground. She got up quick - maybe too quick, for the man seemed more intrigued than before.

"Fast than any ninja I've ever seen," he said, his head hanging down so that his black locks covered his face. "You just got very interesting."

Shin disappeared from sight, running behind him and aiming a kick for his back. He turned just in time to grab her ankle and send her crashing into the nearest tree.

He was in front of her when she got up, blood trickling down her face. His still wore the same sadistic grin, his golden eyes shining as he looked at her.

"Now," he said, reaching for the collar of her shirt. He was too slow - she had already disappeared.

"Come here, little girl," the man cackled, looking around the trees. "I'm just here to help you."

He was preparing for an attack, but he was mistaken in thinking Shin was a natural fighter. She had left the area without a trace.

* * *

><p>Shin placed the sticks she had gathered into a small pile. She could have just lit the fire the normal way, but the effort it would have taken to do it was more than she wanted to handle. Instead, she simply closed her eyes and willed it there.<p>

All she wanted to do was go home, yet she couldn't risk running into that man again. She knew she could easily kill him, all she would have to do was blink and he would go up in a pit of fire. But she didn't want to - she didn't want to be a demon, didn't want to use her powers - and besides, she wasn't a killer. If an unnecessary death could be avoided, she would do all that was in her power to do so.

It may have been naive, but it was the only way she could keep her humanity. At least for the time being.

"Kirin, how far off are we?"

"Fifteen miles," the raven spoke. "I calculated as you were fighting Orocohimaru."

"Orochimaru?"

"Yes," Kirin replied, nodding her back head. "He is apart of Akatsuki."

Shin only stared.

"Akatsuki?"

"Yes. From what I've gathered over the years, Itachi is apart of them now, too."

Shin closed her eyes. "That's..." she paused, re-opening them. Kirin took note of how they regained their dull black color. "Interesting."

With that, the young girl fell asleep, praying that the next day would be the day she returned home.

However, she could never be that lucky.

* * *

><p><strong>Three Years AM<strong>

"Who are you running from?" The old man asked. In reality, he wanted to ask her who in the hell was strong enough to have her running for the hills? He knew she knew who she was, what she could do. She didn't spend three years soul searching, that was for sure. She could change her eyes on whim, not to mention the fact that she wasn't bursting in flames without any trace of a seal. Shin had found out the truth, and she had learned to control it.

Which meant one of the strongest shinobi in the world was standing in front of him, asking for protection.

It was Kirin who answered.

"Orochimaru."

* * *

><p>Shin was walking through the village, a piece of pocky sticking slightly out of her mouth as she did so. The villagers would stop and stare as she passed, pulling their kids aside with hushed tones and worried looks. They would mumble words barely audible to the human ear, but perfectly clear to the girl's enhanced senses.<p>

_It's her_, they would whisper. _The monster's girlfriend._

If she had been any other citizen, she would have tried to defend herself. He was never my boyfriend, she would scream. _I didn't love him. You know nothing. _

She had thankfully learned to control her emotions long ago. Emotion was a petty, human trait, that only caused trouble.

Finishing off her food, the girl cleared her surroundings before doing what she knew best - disappearing.

* * *

><p>Tomorrow was the day Sasuke Uchiha would become a ninja.<p>

The boy had spent the last few hours in the training grounds, simply staring at the post in front of him and trying to will himself to move. It had been three years since everything was taken from him, three years of being completely alone, and three years since he swore to himself that he would kill his brother with his own hands.

Tomorrow he would receive his forehead protector and begin his journey as a ninja.

The young boy sensed the disturbing presence as soon as it arrived, but dared not to look up at the tree from which it came. Normally, he would be alert, assessing whichever person decided to walk upon the training grounds before giving him the go ahead to continue. But this person's chakra was different. It wasn't friendly, but it wasn't threatening either.

It actually felt a little familiar.

Shin looked down on the young man . He looked so much like Itachi it could have sent her running for the hills had she kept any ounce of compassion. She knew he had noticed her - he was a Uchiha, after all - but he would not acknowledge that fact.

Where was Kirin? She thought. The bird had not returned since her first night back home, which only led her to wonder where her father could have ran off to in the year she had detached from both him and her village. As much as she did not want to admit it, she needed his guidance. She was not suited for a world of people. She could only survive in a world that consisted only of herself.

Shin continued to wait for Sasuke to do something. She didn't necessarily want him to confront her, or even see her for that manner, but she hadn't wanted to hide from him either. If she had just wanted to watch him without being noticed, she could have concealed her chakra easily.

"You can come out now," he spoke after what felt like hours. Shin glanced down at him, black eyes at work.

The girl dropped from the trees, landing directly in front of him.

"It's been a while, Sasuke."

The boy only stared. Could this really be...? He thought, trying not to look too surprised but the look on his face was obvious. Flashbacks of the red haired child started to flood his brain. She looked too well kept to be Itachi's friend. The girl from before looked wild and unsanitary, but the woman standing in front of him was very put together.

"What are you doing here?" He asked. The statement sounded more like an accusation than a question, his eyes narrowing all the same. "I thought you left after him."

"I did," Shin replied, the blank look on her face never faltering. "I left the village after Itachi, but not to go after him."

Sasuke nodded slightly, but he was not convinced.

"What do you want?"

The girl only shrugged before turning her back to him.

"You look well," she responded, before leaving the training ground completely.

For the first time in three years, Sasuke Uchiha was speechless.

* * *

><p><strong>Present time.<strong>

"Wake up."

The man turned from his spot on the bed to face the window in which the black bird perched.

"Your quest is meaningless," the man responded. "I do not care to play her games anymore."

It was at this point that Kirin let out a loud, high-pitched laugh that caused Itachi to sit up in his bed and immediately prepared for attack. The bird sounded absolutely menacing.

"It's not a game," the bird responded, its voice becoming deeper than ever before and it's normally beady black eyes glowing a back red. "She wanted you to know who she was. So you shall. It was her dying wish."

"What are you?"

"I am the one who created her. From my own flesh and blood."

The raven disappeared in a cloud of smoke, and Itachi Uchiha got up immediately. He didn't bother informing his partner of his departure, instead making his way out of the old motel and toward's Kohana.

He needed to find what she had sent him for in the first place.


	7. The Test

**Chapter Seven: The Test**

* * *

><p><strong>Three Years AM<strong>

"She's a child."

"You were even younger when you became ANBU," Sarutobi responded. "If I remember correctly."

"I was different."

"You may come to find that you both have more in common than you think."

* * *

><p>Shin stared at the silver haired man in front of her. So this was the great Kakashi Hatake, she mused, the same emotionless expression plastered across her face as she took him in. He was the one who graduated before me, one of the youngest shinobi to date. Almost as good as Itachi.<p>

Almost as good as me, she wanted to think, but she would not allow herself to. She knew she had grown strong, but she would have been a fool to over estimate her ability - especially to someone as well known as Kakashi of the Leaf.

It was right before the Hokage was about to call the beginning of the match when a small weight was placed on her shoulder. Kakashi watched intently as the girl looked from him to the raven, small strands of blood red hair dangling in front of her face as she whispered a small 'go' to the bird.

Shin was almost taken aback at the sudden intrusion, but was more than relieved to see her only friend resting on her shoulder. Knowing she could not dare use Kirin, she had told the bird to leave. It had been days since the bird had been gone, and as much as the girl wanted to know how Kirin's quest had turned out, now simply was not the time.

It was as Shin turned to face her opponent that the Hokage deemed the match to start.

Kakashi was almost ashamed to admit that he could barely land a hit. The young kunoichi was fast, almost too fast for someone at her level. The Hokage had mentioned that Shin had only been a chuunin when she left the village, and while he believed that her strength had grown over the years, he had no doubt in his mind that Kakashi could defeat her. When Kakashi asked why he was requested to pair up with her if the man was certain of her demise, the Hokage only concluded that it was not Shin's victory he wanted to witness, but her skill.

"Shin Natasu was supposed to pick up rank the week of the Great Festival," the Hokage had explained. "Her sensei had high hopes for her, a jounin at only thirteen. However, she had decided to leave the village before testing her ability."

"Why did she leave?" _And why did you allow her to come back?_ No ninja was allowed to leave the village without special permission from the Hokage, otherwise they would be immediately classified as a misisng nin. A threat.

"The Uchiha massacre did a great strain on her. It was said that her and Itachi had become very close, so it seemed only fitting that on that day he would not only take her mother's life, but attempt at her own."

The Hokage would answer no more questions from there. Kakashi had not even bothered to ask.

He took note on how, after almost twenty minutes of sparring, it was exactly that - sparring. The black eyed kunoichi's attacks were only taijutsu tactics, and it was almost as if she was chosing to be on the defense rather than the offense.

Kakashi almost let out a sigh of relief when he finally managed to catch her. A swift punch to the face should have sent her flying, but instead she stood her ground as his fist collided with her jaw line. It was almost mind shattering that she had chosen this exact moment to make eye contact as her head twisted to the side.

Immediately after the contact Shin switched from defensive to offensive. The girl flew at him with everything she had, even managing to knock him down a few times. The way she was moving almost seemed inhuman. Her moves were so quick and so precise he had begun to break a sweat.

_Why only taijutsu? _

Shin was charging at him now, a kunai in each hand. Kakashi needed time to assess, to figure out the best plan of action to defeat her quick and painlessly. He managed to evade her, but just barely; she had noticed which way he was going to move and had quickly dropped to the ground to slide towards him, trying to catch his leg with her own to throw him off balance. He had jumped out of the way just in time, landing in a nearby tree and concealing his chakra.

Shin stood up and closed her eyes, trying to listen to the sounds around her. It was smart of him to hide his chakra, but also a very, very dumb move. If he thought that was the only way she could sense him, he had definitely under estimated her. And maybe, just maybe, she had over estimated him.

_Her speed is incredible,_ he thought, glancing down at her. And taijutsu is definitely her strong point. _But for her to souly choose this type of technique is odd. Most ninja use a mixture of the three, or two, even if they do not excell in it. She's staying comfortable for a reason. But what could that reason be? _

He watched her. She was unmoving. Her red hair had been tied at the top of her head, but was still long enough to reach mid back. She wore all black, nothing too eccentric, and the only weapons she carried were those that could fit in the pouch around her thigh and a slim katana that hung from her shoulders.

It only took a few more seconds before she found him. Shin spun around quickly, sending a kunai flying in his direction.

The kunai hit him straight in the heart, and in a puff of smoke Kakashi was nothing more than a mere log.

Shin was quick to appear in front of his hiding space between the bushes, aiming her fist straight for his jaw. He managed to catch her, using her arm as leverage to swing her over his shoulder and into the trunk of the nearest tree. She landed with her feet on the trunk, giving herself no time to recover before charging again.

"You're fast," he stated, grabbing her by the collar of her shirt and slamming her into the ground. "But not fast enough."

It was as Shin's clone disappeared in a puff of smoke he realized that taijutsu was her strong point, but it wasn't her only one. If he could trap her in a genjutsu, the match would be over immediately, and he would be free to continue out the plan of the day. He sighed, trying to contemplate whether or not it was work the risk. He was growing bored, and he had a team to meet. It wasn't as if he was too worried about being on time - he was already an hour late, but there was still something he needed to do before he could even bother with that.

"It's over," he said, lifting up his forehead protector and opening his eye. "You're done."

The sight of the sharigan sent chills down her spine. She wanted to scream, wanted to forfeit right then and there. The Hokage must have set her up for this on purpose. He wanted to see where her loyalties lied. Were they with the village, or were they which Itachi? Was she here for selfish sanctuary, or was she here to receive payment for what the Village had done to her?

It wasn't possible for him to be an Uchiha, he didn't have the genetics, and he was far too laid back to carry any ounce of Uchiha blood in him. So how in the hell...

She began looking around frantically for Kirin. Help me, please, she wanted to scream. _What am I supposed to do? Fight blind?_

That's when she managed to allow herself a small smile. The gesture actually surprised Kakashi, causing a slight grin to form underneath his mask. Things were just beginning to get interesting.

Shin ripped the sleeve of her shirt and used it to wrap around her eyes to serve as a blindfold. The man sweat dropped. _You've got to be kidding._

"Do you really expect to fight like that?" He called. By now he did not except a response from her. It was obviously she was reserved, even past a shinobi standard. _That reservation itself would make her excellent for interrogation missions._ The thought alone allowed him to continue to egg her own.

"You realize the fault in your plan, don't you?" He asked. Shin was still facing him, and had it not been for the blindfold she would have been staring right at him. "You can't see."

Shin moved ever so slightly, moving one of her legs back and placing her arms in front of her to get into proper fighting form. Kakashi resisted the urge to roll his eyes. She would rather fight blind than use any other technique. She could be an academy teacher at best.

Unknown to the masked man, the girl always had a plan. The second Kakashi moved she would attack. He may have had the upper hand with his sharigan, but she had Kirin. The most he could do now was copy her moves, but he would barely be able to detect them in time to do so once she really got started. As much as she wanted to avoid using both Kirin and her abilities as a crutch, she knew it was unavoidable.

Besides, the sharigan was a devil trick, anyway. If Kakashi was going to use one, well... so was she.

"Has the fight ended?" Sarutobi called from the sidelines, a slight grin on his face. This was perhaps one of the most interesting pairs he had ever seen. Not only had he not expected Shin to be able to block any, let alone most, of Kakashi's moves, but he had not expected something as crazy as a blind match, either.

"No, Hokage-sama," Kakashi called, before disappearing from the Hokage's vision.

Shin didn't move until she heard Kirin's signal. The sound was carried through the wind, barely audible to human ears. As soon as she caught wind of it, Shin turned and grabbed the shinobi by his upper arms. She threw him behind her, turning just in time to send a spiraling kick to his abdomen. The man, eyes wide, managed to jump out of the way just in time for a ball of red fire to miss hitting him head on. Instead, the flames hit the tree directly behind him. Shin reached out her arms, opening her palms and closing them in a swift motion that turned the tree to ash.

Even the Hokage could not help but stare with wide eyes.

"Woah."

Kakashi stood up, staring at her. T_hat... came from her foot. She didn't even need hand signs... she... it came from.._.. His thoughts were clouded. Had she been aiming to kill?

The man sighed, reaching into his pocket.

"Kakashi, don't you -"

But it was too late. Not even Sarutobi himself could stop him.

Shin took off the blind fold and watched as her opponent grabbed a small, orange book out of the confines of his pants.

"I apologize," he said, pulling his forehead protector back over his eye. "It appears I'm late to meet my team."

"Kakashi - "

Shin was still staring.

"Hokage-sama, I apologize, I have business to attend to," Kakashi then turned his back to the young girl in front of him.

"What are you trying to pull, Kakashi?"

"Forgive me. But she tried to kill me. With her foot."

And with that Hatake Kakashi left the training grounds, leaving only a fuming Hokage a very confused girl.

* * *

><p>It was past noon when Shin made it back to her apartment. She hadn't expected a turn out like that at all, where the great Kakashi Hatake would end up forfeiting the match. Sarutobi only laughed, saying that it was all he needed to see, anyway. Was he even trying? She wondered, taking her hair down from her high ponytail and letting it flow down her back. Or did they just want to see what I was capable of? Was he tasked to fight me, or expose me?<p>

It was hard trusting people. After everything that had happened, all the lies she had been fed, she could only think that there was always something more - something they weren't telling her.

The girl fell asleep on the couch that night, not bothering to take off her clothes or even her shoes, and definitely not bothering to notice the single, red rose that was set on her kitchen counter.

* * *

><p><em>I'm not sure of anything any more.<em>

_Kirin couldn't find him. She said she looked all of the Fire country and there was no sight of him. It's infuriating that he would just leave me to fend for myself as soon as he stripped every human quality I had away from me._

_He didn't even come when I was captured. Kirin had found him, but he had only laughed in her face. Said that I was supposed to be able to take care of myself. If I still needed him to help me, then I wasn't worth saving._

_The burning in my chest won't stop. My heart is literally creating a hole in my chest and there is nothing I can do to stop it._

_How am I supposed to live like this?_

* * *

><p>"Have you eaten this week, Shinwari?"<p>

Shin looked up from her book and towards the small raven that was perched on a rock near the river. She had been using a nearby tree for support, her legs twisted together like a pretzel. She only shook her head as a response before turning back to her book.

"You should probably eat."

She looked up again, this time at a tall, silver haired shinobi with a similar orange book in his hand.

"I know how easy it is to get distracted," he replied, closing the book and pocketing it. "But you're friend here says you haven't eaten all week. That can't be healthy."

Shin only continued to stare. What was his game?

"Come on," he said, squatting down so they were at eye level. "I'll pay."

He reached out his hand. She hestitated, but then grabbed it, allowing herself to be lifted up.

The dinner wasn't as awful as it was awkward. Kakashi spent most of the time trying to bait the girl to talk, and her absence of speech left him more confused than ever. Usually, he couldn't get girls to shut up, and here was this very attractive, very strong female in front of him, and she wouldn't speak.

"So, any favorite places?"

"..."

"Movies?"

"..."

"Food?"

"..."

"Do you have any friends?"

"..."

"Favorite foods?"

"..."

"Any food?"

"..."

"What are you reading?"

She slide the book across the table. It took all of Kakashi's power not to fall over.

"I suppose talking is useless," he said, sliding the book back to her.

"..."

Shin walked herself home that night. Kakashi had insisted, but she had simply disapeared before he had a chance to follow her. With a small sigh, the silver haired jounin continued his way back to his small apartment in order to prepare for the next day's mission to the land of waves.

* * *

><p><strong>Two Years AM<strong>

She didn't know long she'd been running, but her feet seemed to have a mind of their own. It didn't matter how tired she was, there was no way she could risk being caught. The sickly man that had ambushed her the first time she had tried to return home had come back, this time with a team of ninja behind him. Had Itachi finally caught wind of her and sent them to finish the job? Or was it the Hokage, assuming she had gone rogue and would be more of a threat to the Fire Country than anything else? It could have been her Father, but she highly doubted it. Not for sentimental reasons, but if the creature wanted her dead he would have killed her himself long ago.

"Kirin," she called. "Find him."

The bird was hesitant to leave her, but obeyed orders and flew off. Over the past few years Kirin had been Shin's eyes and ears, and had recently taken the responsibility of being her voice. The bird feared the worst for the young girl, but knew she must trust her master over all. As soon as she saw Kirin disappear within the trees, the red haired kunoichi stopped and turned towards the group of four.

With a small grunt, the girl pulled her arms back before hastily throwing them forward, sending a wave of fire in their direction. The pale man dodged it with ease, but two out of three others weren't so lucky. They were caught in the flames destruction, and no matter what they did there was not way to put them out. The flames would keep burning until their bodies disintegrated.

"You get more interesting by the minute," the man grinned, and with a small laugh he lashed out at her in the most disgusting way possible. He opened his mouth and shot out a long, inhuman tongue in her direction, wrapping it around her tightly.

The man - Orochimaru - began to laugh, but stopped short as soon as he felt the heat on his tongue rise. His yellow eyes widened as he stared at the girl in front of him, who had just burst into flames herself. He retracted the muscle before she could completey burn it off, and could only stare as she fell to the ground. She looked up at him, red eyes glowing, and pounded her fist into the ground. The earth below them began to shake, causing the man to fall to his knees. This was better than he could have ever imagined.

"Which one is it, then?" He asked as two snakes began to crawl out of the sleeves of his shirt. "Which jinjuricki are you?"

The snakes wrapped around her arms and neck, and with a final blow to the head she blacked out.


	8. Orochimaru

**Chapter Eight: Orochimaru**

* * *

><p><strong>Two Years AM<strong>

When Shin awoke the first thing she noticed was that her body temperature was below freezing. The second was that her wrists and ankles were bound by shackles and frozen by ice. She tried to move, but she had been paralyzed. It was no surprise; what was surprising was that she was alive, seeing as her body was much too cold to function at all.

She closed her eyes, trying to concentrate on melting the shackles, but it was useless.

What the hell is this?

"Looks like you're alive," she heard a voice call from behind the glass that was encircling her. "Excellent. Where should we begin?"

She growled, but barely. Even her face was paralyzed.

"I wouldn't try any thing. Your jutsu is fire based, which means without a spark you are useless."

_Figures he'd think that,_ she thought. _But it doesn't matter anyway. I've been using my body as a match this entire time, but I can't do anything at this temperature. Once my flames start they won't stop unless I command them to no matter the force, but... I can't even start them like this._

"Now, I won't be able to get much out of you being stuck like this. But I can't very well risk you killing me, can I?" He was pacing back and forth in front of her now. "How about we make a compromise? I let you out, if you promise not to kill me?"

Was this man a complete idiot?

Suddenly the glass cage she had been put in begun to fill with water, and did not stop until the glass itself overflowed and she was once again rendered unconscious.

* * *

><p><strong>Three Years AM<strong>

The young girl bolted out of bed, covered in sweat and grabbing her neck as she tried to regain the breath she had lost during the night. The nightmares were becoming worse by the day, the small comfort she had received from being in Kohana vanishing by the second. What made her think she was safe here? What made her think that the Hokage could protect her from a demon like him? What made her think that he _would_?

Shaking, she eased herself out of her bed and into the kitchen. The red rose she had found on the counter weeks before had now disintegrated into a pile of dead leaves and a broken stem.

* * *

><p>She was introduced to her team two weeks after her indoctrination into the ANBU, and sent out on missions three weeks after that. They worked well together; her and two boys whose names she hadn't bothered asking, but who spoke of themselves with pride<p>

First there was Dei. Tall, blonde, and handsome, he had just reached his twenty first birthday and he was well on his way to becoming ANBU of the year (if such a thing existed). His specialty was chakra sensing and taijutsu. Rumor had it he had taken out an entire squad of missing ninja on his own by the age of fourteen.

Yuji was twenty three and much more reserved than his partner. He was a little shorter, with bright blue eyes and silver hair. He had only been in ANBU a few months longer than Shin had, but it had been by choice. Yuji had already trained two genin teams under him, both which had graduated as chuunin within a record time frame.

Months went by and there was still no word from her father. She carried out her missions gracefully and with ease, only needing to tap into her power once or twice within the time span. Her judgement was blunt and accurate, and eventually the village started seeing her as a necessity rather than a threat. One month before the Chuunin exams and her seventeenth birthday she was named ANBU captain, earning her a pride she had not felt since she had graduated the academy at the age of seven.

The Hokage could only sigh in relief as the rumors begun flooding in; Shin had become the Leaf's protector; neighboring countries had begun requesting peace in order to prevent an attack from the girl on fire. However, while most of the citizens of the village had become dependent on her, there were still those who doubted her.

The elders, for example, still saw her as a threat; she had been too close to Itachi for comfort, and if she ever found out the truth about the massacre they feared that she would take it out on the village. The older generation of shinobi, those who were present in both the Kyuubi attack and the Uchiha massacre, feared almost the same. If Itachi Uchiha came back, would Shin betray them? Or had she been planning on betraying them from the beginning?

The chuunin exams were fast approaching with every given day. Much to the Hokage's surprise, all nine rookie teams had entered to test their abilities. It was now up to him to find instructors, and the pick was evident; Ibiki, Anko, Hayate, and a few select others would be their proctors, and Kohana would soon have a new set of elite shinobi. In fact, soon the entire world would.

All the countries were gathering this year in order to participate. And while this could be seen as a moment of unity, it could also be seen as a moment of destruction.

Foreign lands would be accepted into Kohana's borders, making the village vulnerable to any sort of attack.

It was for this purpose that her team had been called back to the Village before they had completed their mission to the Land of Waves. The three of them would wait in the Forest of Death for any sudden movement, and protect the shinobi of the Leaf with their lives if need be.

* * *

><p><em>If you protect Kohana, Kohana will protect you.<em>

* * *

><p>"Shin," Dei's voice cut through the ear piece. "To the left. There's a chakra I haven't felt before. It's... it's not good."<p>

"I'm up ahead," Yuji's voice cut in. "It's Kakashi's team... and... a grass ninja. Only one of them, though. She's split off from her team."

Shin picked up her speed, running towards the direction Dei was leading her too. Kirin flew up above the forest, encircling the team and occasionally dropping down to the members to replay the information she found. Shin's eyes grew wide as Kirin landed on her shoulder, whispering in her free ear.

The young girl's eyes began to glow bright red with rage.

"The village has been infiltrated," she growled into her mic. "Alert the Hokage. I'm going in."

"Infiltrated? By who? You can't go al - "

"That's an order," her voice was harsh this time, sending shivers down both of their spines. "GO."

"Yes, captain," they spoke in unison, both deterring off in separate directions and away from the forest of death.

Shin picked up her speed, rushing forward with her katana in hand. She growled, baring her teeth as she rushed through the forest.

"Orochimaru!"

* * *

><p>She skidded to a halt in front of the three shinobi. Kakashi's team looked minutes short from death.<p>

"What happened?" She asked, staring down at Sasuke as Sakura cradled him in her arm. The boy looked up at her through squinted eyes.

"Shin..."

"What happened, Sasuke?"

She was squatting in front of him now, placing her hand on top of the one covering his shoulder and removing it slightly.

"Listen, Lady, I don't know who you think you are but - "

"Sakura, it's... it's okay," Sasuke cut her off. "She's..." What was she exactly? "...a friend..."

Sakura stared at the woman with wide eyes, and gave a small nod.

"Who did this?" She asked, red eyes meeting green. "Where did they go?"

"She went... she went that way..." Sakura said, pointing towards the forest. "But she was really strong. Not even Sasuke could stand up to her... I don't think any of us stand a chance."

"Sakura, was it?" Shin asked, standing up and dusting herself off. The pink haired girl nodded slightly. "Don't worry about me. Focus on keeping Sasuke safe, and..." she turned to the blonde, who had yet to say a single word throughout the meeting. "Protect your friends."

"We'll take care of him, believe it," the blonde said. Shin only nodded in response before sprinting in the direction Sakura had led her.

"Who was that?" Sakura asked, looking down at her fallen comrad, but the young avenger had already passed out. "Naruto... do you think..."

"Come on, Sakura. You heard the lady," Naruto said. "Keep Sasuke safe. Protect each other... we'll move when he's awake."

The pinkette nodded her head. "Right."

* * *

><p>"Orochimaru," Shin called, her voice echoing throughout the forest in a cynical, sing-song way. "Where are you..."<p>

She was sprinting, jumping from tree to tree in search of the disgusting excuse for a creature. Sakura had used a female suffix to describe him, which meant he had changed bodies after she had escaped. She was sure she'd recognize him anyway - there was no missing those scaly, yellow eyes that followed him wherever he went.

"Shinwari."

She stopped suddenly, almost losing her balance in the process. She grabbed on to the branch of a tree quick, swinging herself up on top of it and positioning herself in a fighting stance with her katana placed in front of her.

"It's been a while, hasn't it?" He asked, stepping out from the shadows and licking his lips. "Tell me, Shin-chan, have you come to kill me?"

Shin growled, her eyes glowing red as heat begun radiating off of her body. Orochimaru could only laugh at her response.

"Of course you'd be angry," he said, suddenly appearing in front of her and swiping the sword from her hands. She lunged at him fist first, but he caught it with ease. "I mean, who wouldn't be after they find out they're worthless?" He let go of her first and grabbed her by the throat. "You didn't escape. Nobody leaves without my permission." He tightened his grip. "There was a purpose to you coming here, little devil. You're playing a part of this game whether you consented to it or not."

The girl managed to release herself from his grasp, ducking under him and aiming a kick for his abdomen. He was quick to dodge, but not quick enough; as soon as he landed on the branch of the tree over, Shin was behind him. Orochimaru's eyes widened at the sudden impact; Shin's arm had gone straight through his stomach, and was currently burning his insides.

"The flames won't stop, Orochimaru," she hissed. "Once they start, the only one who can control them is me. How does it feel -" her voice had grown raspy, darker by the second. "- being completely helpless?"

"You can answer that for me," he smirked. "In one month."

Orochimaru was gone in a second. Shin lowered her arm, calling her flames back as she did so. She wanted to scream, wanted to tear the forest down from where she stood. She wanted sanctuary, she wanted safety. The Hokage promised if she protected Kohana, Kohana would protect her. But...

Kohana wasn't strong enough for this.

Shin turned and began to run toward's the forest's entrance. Yuji and Dei had already reached the Hokage by the time she returned, but she needed to tell him just who it was that had broken through the barriers.

* * *

><p><strong>Present time.<strong>

Itachi read it over and over.

_If you protect Kohana, Kohana will protect you._

The sentence was written hundreds of times, taking up almost five pages in the girl's journal. What did she need protection from? Was it Orochimaru? How could one man strike fear into her heart, when Itachi could barely touch the surface of her emotions? Especially when the older Uchiha had defeated Orochimaru countless times - he was the only man the snake feared, yet Shin held back no fear when it came to him.

The first time they had seen each other since the massacre had been after the Chuunin exams. She had gone after him without a second thought, almost tearing through the barriers that seperated him from normal ninja. He remembered her fire; remembered how the red flames had formed around her body, almost producing a shape of their own. He remembered her eyes, crimson red, turning back to coal the moment he touched her. He remembered her voice, so soft and reserved yet... so firm, precise. He remembered so much about her...

...yet nothing at all.

"Where will you go now?" Kirin asked.

"She spoke of a cabin," the man replied. "Lead me to it."

* * *

><p>The place was a disaster. The young Uchiha prodigy could only wonder how it had managed to stay together after all the years. Burn marks lined the walls, both inside and out, and the porch itself seemed to have been ripped from the cabin and thrown to the ground, as it had shattered into thousands of pieces. There was no furniture inside; only a small blanket on the ground, a broken staircase that led up to a small room that consisted of only a chair and a desk. From her journal, it seemed the girl had spent two years here after that night.<p>

"I'm sick of these games, Kirin," Itachi spoke. "If Shin wanted me to know, she would have just told me. I don't have time to waste on this."

"What would you rather be doing?" Kirin's voice was dark again, her eyes glowing red. "Preparing for your battle with Sasuke? But... didn't you plan on dying in that battle, anyway? So what time do you really have to be wasting, Itachi?"

Itachi narrowed his eyes. _How did she know that? _

"If I just told you," the raven continued. "That would ruin the fun... Besides, I still have some time to buy. And I can't have you running around rampant when my plan falls into action."

"I won't be apart of your games," the Uchiha said. "I'm done here."

"But, _Itachi,_" the man stopped walking, frozen in his spot. _How? _How did Kirin manage to mimic her voice so well? It was as if... as if she was there.

But when he turned, it was only the small raven. Shin was nowhere in sight.

"What if I told you," the bird laughed. "It was for the... _greater good?_"


	9. Reunited

A/N: Thank you to everyone for following!

Please feel free to tell me what I'm doing wrong (or hopefully right) in the reviews.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Nine: Reunited<strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Three Years AM<strong>

* * *

><p>The events that led up to the destruction of the leaf village also led up to the destruction of Shinwari Natasu.<p>

The girl fought for the villagers with all of her strength. A great barrier of fire was put up during her battle with the sound ninja, the monster inside her fully awakening with every step. Kakashi was paralyzed at the sight of the monster. Burning, red flames were leaking from her skin, forming around her in such a way that made it seem as if they were taking shape of a demon with a long pointed tail and two very large horns.

She had been paralyzed by one of the weapons - something no one had seen before. One of the shinobi from Suna had shot her down with some sort of needle that had embedded itself into her neck and put her down like a puppy. She was rushed to the hospital as the attack went on.

Once it was over, she was released within a few days. Sasuke had come to visit her once he was released, brushing her hair and bringing her flowers every so often. Kakashi began to question the relationship between his student and the girl he called home, but didn't think much of it. It was well known that the two had known each other as children. At the end of the day, she was the only thing the boy had left besides his one true goal:

To kill Itachi Uchiha.

And, as it would seem, the bonds of fate twisted, and Shin was released just as Kakashi was brought into the hospital. She opened the door just in time to see Sasuke sprinting down the halls.

"Sasuke?"

The boy stopped, but only for a second, his sharigan blazing. He debated telling her - but he couldn't, because he knew there was a chance that Shin could kill him. And as much as he wanted his brother dead, he had to be the one to kill him. Not anyone else.

So instead he ran.

* * *

><p>She was running faster than she had in years. Once the news of Itachi had breached, she knew exactly where Sasuke was headed. She didn't bother to ask questions once she saw Kakashi in one of the hospital beds; instead, she closed her mind off to anything except the older Uchiha.<p>

Shin made it to the hotel before Sasuke, skidding down the halls and running towards Itachi just as Naruto opened the door. The young fox stood, staring, as the red hair kunoichi charged, her fist made of fire as she aimed it for the man's face.

Itachi ducked just in time, but she managed to swing her body around just in time to land a kick into the man's abdomen. Her eyes were blazing red, but she kept down her flames. She wanted the satisfaction of feeling his face between her fists.

"It's been a while," the man said. The larger man looked from Itachi to Shin, a crooked grin plastered across his face.

"Can I kill her, at least?" The blue man laughed, ripping his sword from his back. "She looks like fun."

Shin didn't even bother to look from her old friend as the man's comment; she was too fixed on Itachi's face. He looked so much older, yet exactly the same. Not an ounce of emotion was portrayed on his perfect, porcelain face.

She ran towards him again, but he was too quick; he caught her with a punch to the gut. Much to his surprise, the girl didn't falter before grabbing his neck and swinging her body around so she landed on the other side of him.

"Well, while he's busy," Kisame said, turning back towards the blonde. "Maybe I should cut off one of your legs so you can't run."

Naruto gulped, staring up at the tall man in front of him.

"Um... lady," Naruto called. "A little help here."

Shin stopped, blocking Itachi's punch and ducking under him before charging towards Kisame.

"Move," she said, her voice barely a whisper as she charged straight into the large man's back. Kisame turned, almost laughing as he swung his sword in the girl's direction. Shin managed to jump up just in time to miss the wave of air, landing in front of Naruto in a fighting stance.

"Wow..." the boy grinned. "You're amazing!"

"Why are you here by yourself?" Shin asked, louder this time. Itachi turned towards her again, a bit taken aback at the sound of her voice.

"Pervy sage... I...I don't know where he is."

Shin nodded as Kisame picked up his sword. "Naruto, is it?" The boy nodded in response. "I'm going to do something drastic. Once I do... I need you to run."

Naruto nodded in response, just as the young avenger stormed through the halls.

"Today's just full of familiar faces..." Itachi mused. "Isn't it, Sasuke?"

"Well, well. Today's a special day," Kisame grinned. "The second time I get to see a sharigan in person."

Sasuke charged, his chidori in hand. Shin looked from Naruto to the young boy, trying to assess who to go to first. Itachi's speed was as great as her own - there's no way Sasuke stood a chance.

The older Uchiha grabbed his brother by the neck and slammed him against the wall. Shin pushed Naruto back quickly and ran towards him. Itachi turned, slamming his foot into her chest and sending her flying back.

"Don't touch her!" Sasuke yelled, only for Itachi to knee him in the abdomen. The younger brother coughed, gripping his brother's wrist as he made one crucial mistake:

he looked into his brothers eyes.

Shin stood up just as Sasuke fell to the floor, only for Kisame to grab her by the collar of her shirt and throw her back to the ground. The older Uchiha walked over, grabbing the girl underneath the arms and picking her up, only to knock her back down with a punch to the jaw. Naruto went to charge, but Jiraya had made it back just in time.

Shin passed out just as the frog's stomach surrounded the building, Itachi's cold face being the last image to enter her mind.

* * *

><p>Shin looked up from her hospital bed just as the small, black raven landed on the windowsill. It was passed midnight, and the full moon was shining brightly through her window.<p>

"Did you find him?" The girl asked. Kirin nodded.

"Would you like me to take you too him?"

Shin nodded, throwing the white sheets off of her and grabbing her katana from a near by chair. Slinging the sword over her back, the girl made sure to lock the door before exiting through the window.

* * *

><p>Sasuke stared at the flash of red that had zoomed past him. Looking down at his pink haired teammate, he sighed, once again lifting his bag over his shoulder and continuing his journey towards Kohana's gates.<p>

* * *

><p>The girl looked down at her old comrad and his new partner. The two were currently sitting quietly by a fire, barely talking, as she stood perched in a tree. She was crouched down on all fours, completey invisible behind the branches. Kirin had settled on her shoulder, staring down at the two as well, waiting for her master's signal.<p>

Shin glanced at the bird, shaking her head, before leaving.

She didn't go far, only a few trees down before jumping onto the ground and landing without a sound. The girl made her way to a nearby river, squatting down and splashing the cold water across her face. What was she thinking? That she would confront him? That she would ask him why he did he what he did? He was cruel and merciless, she saw that first hand. He showed no remorse as he beat her to a pulp and knocked his little brother out cold.

A kunai whizzed past her face as she stood, cutting a single strand of hair that hung from her ponytail. She wiped the excess water off of her face with the back of her hand, not bothering to turn towards him. Of course she would be caught, she hadn't even tried concealing her chakra. She had left it up to fate to make the decision of their encounter for her.

"Shin," he spoke. "What are you doing here?"

She fingered the blade on her back, debating whether or not fighting him would be worth it. After mustering up her strength, she turned, looking him straight into his sharigan.

"If you want to kill me," she said, placing her hand on her chest. "I can tell you how."

"Don't be ridiculous," he responded. After how many years, why would that be the first thing she'd say? He felt almost ridiculous for thinking it. Because you tried to kill her, you idiot. And you couldn't.

"Then why are you here, Itachi?" She spoke. Her voice was firm and strong, nothing like he remembered. He glanced from her to the bird on her shoulder, a questioning look in his eyes.

"You followed me."

A small growl escaped her lips. She bared her pointed teeth in anger, only leaving the man with more questions.

"What do you want with Naruto?" She asked.

"That's not why you're here," he said, turning his back to her. "Go home, Shin."

He was almost knocked off his feet as soon as he started walking. The red haired girl had stomped her foot, so hard the ground below them began to shake. Itachi stopped, balancing himself. How...

"I'm different," she responded. Itachi closed his eyes, his back still towards her.

"I assumed as much," he replied. "I take it you're not going to leave peacefully?"

"There is a burning in my chest, Itachi," she said, stomping her foot again as she grabbed her chest once more. "It hasn't stopped. It burns deeper every day."

The man waited for her to continue, but she didn't.

"What do you want me to do about that?"

"I want you to stop it," she growled. "So do you want to know how to kill me or not?"


	10. Time Lapse

**Chapter Ten: Time Lapse**

* * *

><p>"No."<p>

The girl scowled, raising her right arm and igniting a ball of fire in her palm. Itachi only stared at her. It took everything he had not to reach out and touch the long, red hair that was flowing down her back. It looked so smooth compared to the ratty cut she had as a child. She was still tiny, and her attire was nothing extravagent, but there was a certain maturity edged into the confines of her face. What had happened to her, he thought, after I left? What did she become? Even as a child, with her sick mother and the constant taunting that came from the children around her, she had never talked so foolishly. She wanted him to kill her? She should have been trying to kill him for even attempting at her life, a miracle he still wasn't sure of.

"You can fight me if you wish," he said. "But it won't change a thing. I won't kill you."

"Then I'll make you," she said, throwing the ball of fire in his direction. The man only had to duck, letting the flames hit the tree behind him. Shin closed her palm as soon as the tree caught on fire, denigrating it to ash.

"You are most certainly different," he replied, standing up straight. "But you're not strong enough to beat me."

"That's where you're wrong," she spat, stepping forward into the moonlight, her red eyes glimmering. "I am more than strong enough to beat you. I could kill you where you stand, and I think you know that, don't you? You saw what I did to those sound ninja, you saw what I can become. So tell me, Itachi. Do you really think I can't defeat you? All I have to do is catch you, and believe me, you may be fast but you can't keep up with me for long."

"You're over confident. It's a pity you've stooped so low."

"Maybe you're just under confident," she said, appearing behind him now. Itachi's eyes windened as he felt the tip of her katana cut through his cloak and lightly tap the center of his back.

"Why do you act like you're so invincible?" He asked, his voice low.

"What makes you think I'm not?"

Itachi turned, grabbing her wrist and snapping it back so that the weapon fell from her grip and onto the ground. She moved her other hand to strike, but he caught that as well, twisting her arms together behind her back and pushing her forward onto the ground. She kicked up as soon as her face touched the grass, one of her legs kicking the man in the chest and the other one following suit in the abdomen. Itachi moved back, covering his mouth as he coughed. Drops of blood fell on to his hand, but he paid no mind, wiping the access liquid onto his pants.

"You can't contain me," she said as two shuriken whizzed past the man's head. "And you most certainly can't beat me."  
>It was him who ran at her now. She dodged almost every one of his hits, before he finally got ahold of her. He slammed her up against a tree by the neck, gripping tighter with each passing second until she had no choice but to look into his eyes.<br>Her eyes turned to black right before she passed out, falling to the ground below him.

* * *

><p>When she opened her eyes again she was staring at the bright yellow eyes of the man she hoped to never see again.<p>

She was once again trapped behind the glass, frozen solid.

"For the next 72 hours," Itachi's voice rang through the room. "You will experience nothing but the pain you felt on what is supposedly... the worst time of your life."

She went to scream, but the water filled up the glass, drowning her.

* * *

><p>The man stared down at the red haired kunoichi laying in front of him. He had always imagined that the pain that the sharigan would bring would have taken her back to the fateful day in the Uchiha compound. It wasn't that he was disapointed, he was just a bit put off at how he felt. Was he angry? Was he relieved? What was this feeling building up in his gut as he stared down at the woman he used to call a friend?<p>

The man bent down, pulling her up and placing her against the tree he had previously slammed her against. It would take a normal person weeks to recover, but he put no doubt in her ability to heal faster than most.

"Who are you, Shinwari," he said, bending over and pulling a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

Itachi stood up at the sound of a small caw. He expected to see one of his crows waiting for him with news from Pein, but instead it was a small raven. The bird flew down, landing in front of the girl, it's head awkwardly cocked to the side.

"What did you do?"

Itachi was very used to animals talking; summons worked for communication. But how could she have summoned the raven without doing any sort of ritual?

"She will be fine," the man responded, still staring.

"Are you waiting for something?" The bird asked. "You've done your deed. Now leave her."  
>Itachi's gaze moved from the girl to her small companion, before turning completely and walking away. Kisame would be up soon, and they would resume their duties.<p>

* * *

><p>When Shin woke up her eyes were black and there was a pounding in her head she hadn't felt since all those years ago when Itachi stuck his blade straight through her heart. She groaned, sitting up and grabbing her forhead, applying pressure to the paint. It took her a few moments to register what had happened.<p>

"Kirin?" She asked, trying to yell but her voice coming out strained. She was greeted by her small friend moments later, who relayed the events. Shin nodded in understanding, still grabbing her forehead.

She would have to wait until night fall to sneak back into Kohana. She had left without a permission, which was a big problem . She had only been asleep for about twelve hours, meaning it was around noon and the search parties would be out for her soon. If she could sneak back into the village, and make it seem as if she never left what so ever, she would be fine.

Where did her and Itachi go from there?

Nowhere.

The girl picked up her katana and swung in on her back before climbing up the tree with all fours, like the animal she was.

* * *

><p>It was bitersweet.<p>

She had returned to Kohana with doubt; that she would have been found out, that there had been ANBU sent after her with fear that she had betrayed them. The Hokage was furious, that was for sure, but not because he thought she had left. He was mad because the ANBU had been dispatched without their captain.

They had been sent after Kakashi's students to bring back another who had left the same night as she had.

Sasuke Uchiha.

* * *

><p>Weeks passed after Sasuke's disappearance. Naruto had come home beaten and bloody, carried into the hospital and put into immediate surgery. Kakashi returned home soon after, laying his jounin vest on the couch without a word and immediately hiding away into his room. Shin had requested to be suspended from missions upon his arrival.<p>

They didn't speak much, but Kakashi still enjoyed the company. She had become more interactive, cooking dinner more often and making sure that the neighbor's kids were taken care of in order to reduce the noise. The man just needed time to adjust to losing not just one, but all three of his students.  
>Sakura had been taken under Tsunade's wing, meaning that she would be spending all her time at the Hokage's office. Naruto was preparing to leave the village with Jiraya, and soon Kakashi would once again be put on the back burner of missions after denying the request Tsunade had made for him to return to the ANBU.<p>

When Shin returned to work he had to admit that he missed the constant comfort she brought with her. She hadn't spoken of Sasuke's disapearance once, which wasn't out of character for her but was also quite suspicious. Obviously her and the boy had developed some sort of bond, and with him gone Kakashi at least suspected her to be a little put off.

She would leave for days at a time, only coming home for a few hours before leaving again. She would bring home groceries on the inbetween and on the rare occasion she would have a few days home they would go out to eat at the resturaunt he had taken to her after their famous battle.  
>Months passed and Kakashi eventually began dispatching and leading other teams, falling back into his routine quicker than expected. He worked with Sakura occasionally, enjoying his time with his former student more than anticipated. She had grown so strong so fast he couldn't help but feel a bit of pride at the sight of her.<p>

It was after the first mission with the pinkette that he returned home to find his roommate and self-proclaimed best friend passed out on the floor. He had immediately brought her back to the hospital, and the medics there found the same weapon that had been used the day of Orochimaru's attack lodged in her throat. It was then the man felt something he hadn't in months - pure, unadulterated anger.

It only took the girl three days to recover, and within those three the older man and pulled himself back from missions once more. He spent the days cleaning up the house, fixing broken odds and ends that were still around since before her mothers passing. He checked her out of the hospital on the third day and walked her home, making sure there was no stumble in her step, or light headed behavior.

Routine picked up again and they saw each other less than they both would have liked. Months passed until a year had made it's cycle, and on the anniversary of the infamous Sasuke Uchiha's disappearance, Shin Natasu was sent on a mission that could have very well been her last.

And this is where the real story begins.


	11. Ghosts Of The Past

**Chapter Eleven: Ghosts of the Past**

* * *

><p>"...courage wasn't something you were bequeathed at birth, and it wasn't a lack of fright. It was overcoming your fear, because the ones you love mattered more."<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Four Years AM<strong>

* * *

><p>"In the event that I am killed, I need you to know... I have left everything to you."<p>

Kakashi stared at the coal eyed woman in front of him, an irritated sigh making it's way from his lips as he pulled her into an embrace. She was reluctant, but eventually managed to wrap her arms around the older man and bury her face in the crook of his neck.

"You'll do fine," he said, releasing her and taking a small step back. She smiled, but barely, as the man grabbed her sword from the shelf by the door and hooked it on to her back. A nod was her final goodbye before exiting the apartment.

* * *

><p>Shin made it to the Hokage's office by eleven, waiting patiently as the woman went through previous mission reports related to the task she had been given. Tsunade relayed the information to her with ease, explaining that solo missions were always a lot more crucial than ones that required teams. Shin had nodded, agreeing to all points and signing her name on the dotted line of the liability paperwork.<p>

Tsunade watched with tired eyes as the young girl exited her office. The woman waited for the door to close before opening the bottom drawer of her desk and taking out a small, beat up photo. The woman in the picture was tall and slim, with long blonde hair that fell down her back in an insane amount of layers. Her eyes were closed in the picture, but Tsunade could still remember the coal black orbs that were so dark, yet so full of life. She had been wearing a black sundress in the picture, her hand resting on her hip with her head cocked to the side.

Tsunade's eyes narrowed as her eyes traveled from the woman's face over to the corner of the picture where a small, black shadow resided.

"Rei..." she whispered, before sticking the picture in the pocket of her green cardigan. "If only you could see how great your daughter has become."

* * *

><p><strong>Decades BM<strong>

A little girl with bright blonde hair and the darkest eyes she had ever seen had run up to kunoichi, her bright white teeth flashing in the young woman's face.

"Hey, lady," she started. "Do you have any money?"

Tsunade looked down, a scowl crossing her face.

"What did you say, you little brat?"

"I said do you have any money," the little girl responded, rubbing her hands together. "I kind of need some really bad."

_What would a five year old need money for?_ The teenager questioned, before sticking her hand into her pocket and giving the kid a few coins.

"Never say I never did anything for you," Tsunade said, waving a peace sign in the air as she left the girl.

* * *

><p>"Come on, old lady. Why don't you put a smile on your face? It's the only thing you got going for you, anyway. Besides those knockers of yours."<p>

Tsunade turned around with fire in her eyes, aiming her fist at the blonde woman's face. Her comrade caught it with ease, smiling widely at the older woman's failed attempt at confrontation.

"I was kidding, Tsunade," the woman responded, releasing the other's hand. "I came to give my condolences. He was a great man, you know. He's going to be remembered."

It was then that the Sanin let her tears fall as she fell into her friends arms. It had been weeks and not a drop of water had fallen from her eyes, but now... it was too late.

"I miss him so bad..." she sobbed. "It's all my fault."

Rei nodded, resting her head on the woman's shoulder and staring off into the distance.

"It's going to be okay," she said, staring over at a nearby tree. "I promise."

* * *

><p><strong>Four Years AM<strong>

Shin came up to a small clearing after six hours of non stop travel. The sun had just begun to set, and her legs were about to give out from the amount ofspeed she had been exerting. From her calculations, she would soon be entering the Land of Waves, which meant that she would be at her destination in about three days time.

It was cutting it close, but she would manage.

She would succeed in her mission, or she would die trying.

* * *

><p>Itachi made his way towards the edge of the forest, a light limp in his step as he approached the old, broken down home that would be his last chance at survival. He only needed his body to keep functioning for one more year, yet it had seemed to already have given up on him. How could he come so far, only to be put right back in the same place he had started?<p>

He had detached from Kisame hours ago, having made up for time spent chasing after another loose end. His ferocious partner was out exploring the town and it's female inhabitants, which gave Itachi just enough time for a check up.

Ayame Mikutso was well known throughout the lands for her genius. She had been the first person to diagnose the sharigan user, along with the first person to provide him medication that actually worked. Steroids, chakra pills, he had been on everything imaginable, and nothing had helped. Yet, for some reason, the prodigy woman was able to dope him up and send him on his way feeling better than he had in years.

He didn't bother knocking before entering the small home. He heard cries echoing from the back room, something he had grown accustom to over the years of visiting her. Ayame was not fond of emergency surgery, but she had such talent in the area that often shinobi would bring their comrades straight to her instead of a local hospital. She would diagnose them and have them on the table in a matter of minutes, working herself to the core and inevitably saving their lives.

However, this scream was different; it was high pitched, blood curling and raw. Whoever it was, their injury must have been to extreme to even wait for the sedatives to kick in.

The man waited patiently, and eventually the screaming died down. He was soon greeted by a pink haired woman, covered head to toe in blood, with fresh tears etched into the bones of her cheeks. She only stared at him, her bright brown eyes telling stories he knew she would never share. With a sigh, she gestured him over to a separate room, having him sit on an old leather couch as she went to clean herself up.

"It's nice to see you, Uchiha-san," she greeted, entering the room in clean clothes and a freshly washed face. "I wish it could be under different circumstances... the most I can give you today is another supply of pills."

"I must leave the Land of Waves tonight," he spoke, his voice as flat as she remembered. "Is there any way you can do a quick check up?"

Ayame sighed and rubbed her temples.

"I can make an exception," she said. "But I would need a favor first. The girl I'm treating... the sedatives will keep her down for a few hours, but I need to move her to a more permanent bed, one closer to my personal room in case she wakes before she's ready. If you can move her, I'll clean up the room and perform your check up with no problems."

Itachi nodded, and Ayame stood, leading him to the back room. She grabbed the edge of the white curtains, pulling them back with ease and directing him towards a small, white hospital bed in the corner of the room. He could hear the beeping of the heart monitors, could see the wires that led underneath the white sheets that covered Ayame's patient.

The pink haired woman handed him a pair of gloves, putting on her own and she made her way over to the girl. She pulled the sheets back, detaching the wires from her body and placing back on the monitor's stand. Itachi walked up slowly, looking down at the girl on the table.

One.

Two.

Three.

Stop.

He stepped back, grabbing his heart as it began to beat rapidly against his chest. His eyes widened, sweat forming beneath his brow as memories began to flash through his head. A ratty, red haired girl whose hands were as rough as her home; a brunette woman whose cooking was almost as awful as her jokes; graduation at the academy, mean black eyes staring down at him with jealousy - a jealousy that had turned into pride by the end of the day. He remembered staring up at her as she walked out of the academy, the biggest smile on her face as she held her headband in her right hand.

And then there was a flash of light, and he was staring at the thirteen year old who had pulled a katana out of her chest as if it was the easiest thing in the world. He was staring at someone who had once been the best part of him as she turned and transformed in to what any one else would call a monster.

He blinked.

"Itachi?" Ayame asked. "Are you okay?"

The man nodded, stepping in front of the medic and picking up the red haired kunoichi in his arms.

* * *

><p><em>Sometimes I forget how scared I really am.<em>

_The taste of immortality lingers on my lips, and I know that I am truly invincible. _

_This should help me, encourage me to become stronger, to take on more intense missions, to put an end to the tyranny of the world. I cannot be killed therefore I cannot be stopped. _

_But I'm not that good of a person._

_Inside of my heart I am scared and I am selfish. _

_Because what happens when someone really does kill me?_

_Or worse, what happens when I give up... _

_... and eventually I kill myself?_

* * *

><p>Itachi had put off his departure from the Land of Waves, much to Ayame's surprise. He had told Kisame his condition was getting worse, and that he would need around the clock medical attention until it cleared up. Kisame had nodded in approval before leaving to report back to Pein, without a single doubt in his mind that his partner's body was deteriorating.<p>

It took Shin exactly 64 hours to wake up. When she did, she was delusional, screaming out names of people he had no recollection of. Ayame put her down quickly, doping her up with medicine and replacing IV bags, constantly muttering incoherent words to herself. She had explained that she had found Shin at the edge of the forest, beaten and bloodied, and upon further inspection found senbon-like needles inserted throughout her body. Two on her neck, one in her chest, and three in her lungs.

"They're different, though," Ayame had said, sipping on her tea. "There laced with a poison I've never seen before."

Itachi nodded, waiting for the woman to speak more but it was futile. Ayame was very confidential when it came to her patients. Shin was an exception, just like she was with everything else, simply because she had never seen someone of her make up before.

When Shin awoke again, she was fine. Her head ached and her body was trembling, but there was nothing extraordinary about her this time. Ayame had given her a few pills and a glass of water, telling her that she was to be on bed rest for at least two days before the medic would let her go. Normally, the girl would have argued, but her body was so tired she could barely move.

"Have you seen a small raven?" Shin asked quietly, finishing off her water and handing it to the pink haired woman.

"No," Ayame responded. "Should I have?'

The red haired kunoichi nodded.

"She's my companion. If you see her, can you let her know where I am?"

Ayame nodded, not quite understanding, but agreeing none the less.

"You have a visitor," the woman said, pulling the white curtains back. "You can come in now. She's awake."

Shin's eyes lit up red as she took in the man before her, but quickly changed back to black. Her heart race was accelerating, but not by much; her body was too drained to even react the the sharigan wielder's presence.

"I'll give you two some time alone," the medic said, walking passed Itachi. "Call me if you need anything."


	12. Those Who Wander

**A/N: So this story is complete! Which means the constant nagging at the back of my brain to finish it has diminished, and I will be updating this solely based on reviews. Sorry. I write mostly for myself so now that I have completed it I'll update based on if anyone wants to read it.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Twelve: Those Who Wander<strong>

* * *

><p>"Yet time makes ravens of us all. And so I pick the memories from the crevices of my brain."<p>

- Patti Smith, published journals.

* * *

><p><strong>Four Years AM<strong>

The raven haired man sat down on a small wooden stool at the edge of the medical bed. The fire haired woman was sitting upright, with her back against the wall and her eyes pointed forward. They had been sitting there for what felt like hours, and not once had the woman looked at him.

"What happened to you?" He asked after the silence started to eat at him. The girl simply shook her head, strands of red falling in her face as she did so. It was then that he realized that her hair was down, and it was long enough to fall over her shoulders and land at her waist. She wore a simple white hospital gown, tied in the back and laced down the sides. He could see the bloodied bandages sneaking out from the veil of cloth and covering her entire torso.

"What are you doing here?" She asked, pulling her knees up to her chest, the white sheets following the shape of her body. She wrapped her frail arms around her legs, using them as a crutch for her chin.

"Why did you leave Kohana, Shin?"

She looked over at him this time, the tiniest lifting of her lips occurring as their eyes connected.

"You know, I always wondered what would happen if we ever encountered each other again... If," she paused, taking a small breath. Her lungs were tight, and her stomach ached. What was the sudden throbbing she felt at the base of her throat? "If things would have been the same," she continued. Itachi could hear the cracking of her voice due to the dryness of her throat. She squinted, the world around her becoming blurry.

"Deep down... I knew they wouldn't. But for some reason, I always hoped they'd be."

After minutes of silence, he answered her.

"You're still so foolish..." he responded, standing up and pushing the chair back as he did so. "Always trying to see the best in people." He leaned closer to her this time, placing his hands on the bed and leaning towards her face. "That you would even hope for a possibility of rekindling a friendship with the man that tried to kill you shows how weak you really are."

Her eyes flared, flaming red as she lunged forward towards him, her knee aimed straight at his abdomen. He didn't even get a chance to react, because the second she moved there was a sharp pain flushing from the bottom of her spine to the tip of her throat. Shin fell forward into his arms, her eyes fading back to black as her body began to seize. She grabbed his shoulders for stability, the world around her blurring.

"I-Itachi..." she squeaked, closing her eyes as blood began to trickle out of her lips. "H-help me.."

The man sighed, picking the girl up bridal style and placing her back on the bed. He placed the covers over, quickly making his way out of the room to find the pink haired medic.

Itachi waited outside as the woman rushed in, glowing pink chakra working over Shin's body quickly and thouroughly. She was in there for hours before the man saw her again.

"What's wrong with her?"

"The poison... it keeps manifesting itself within her body. No matter what I do, I can only prolong it's effects..."

The man nodded.

"Can I ask you how you know her?" She asked. "I don't mean to pry... I was just hoping there was something you knew that could help me."

Itachi was quiet for a moment.

"There's nothing I can tell you..." he responded. "I have no idea who she's become."

Itachi left the next day.

* * *

><p><strong>Four &amp; 34 Years AM**

The door creaked slowly open, a small amount of light creeping through as another presence entered. The young girl narrowed her eyes, trying to reach out towards the being but being caught in a web of chains that aligned her body.

"I wouldn't move. You'll only hurt yourself."

His laughter was the only response to the growl that left her lips.

"Such an animal. I would expect no less from a blood child of the supposedly all great and powerful," Orochimaru said, walking closer to her. He bent down, lifting her face up by her chin. "Tell me, dear. Where is your daddy this time?"

She ripped her face from his grasp, her red eyes glowing as she glared at him.

"I have to admit I was a little worried when I heard Itachi Uchiha had been spotted wandering around the same village I had followed you to. I was almost worried that he had found you before I did. Seeing as you were on the verge of death anyway, there was a high risk he would finish the job for me."

The yellow eyed man smirked as the girl erupted in to a wall of fire, breaking the chains that surrounded her and charging at him. He caught her first and flipped her backwards, swinging his leg in to her abdomen.

"Don't think I've forgotten what you did to me, Shinwari," he spat her name like venom. "There are still holes in my body from where you last touched me, and those will not be forgiven."

He kicked her over and over, listening at her cries with the utmost satisfaction. He kicked her until her flames burnt out, until her body began to turn black and blue and blood poured from her mouth.

The man bent over, picking her up by he hair and using his other hand to cup her face. He made sure she was staring directly into his cold eyes before speaking.

"I will harness your power, devil child. And as soon as I do will watch you burn at the stake just as your mother did."

"I'd like to see you try," she spat. "You may have been able to injure me, but you could never truly kill an immortal."

"Oh, my little Shin-chan. There's always a way. Didn't you say so yourself, when you begged Itachi to take your life?"

She felt her eyes widen on instinct, and her body began to shake.

"What...?" How could he possibly have known that?

"Did you really think you could escape me? Who else do you think would be able to create such a posion to paralyze you? Like you said, Shin. You're an immortal... no one would know exactly what can harm you... besides someone whose already studied every inch of your body."

Shin screamed, but like most things pertaining to the demon child, it was useless.

No one was coming to save her.

* * *

><p><strong>Five Years AM<strong>

"Sir, is that a raven?"

Pein looked over from his childhood companion to the wind ow sill of the hotel they had been staying at. It took him a moment to register the creature in his mind; the glowing red eyes, the obscure aura the bird was emitting, was much too familiar for the man's taste.

"Konan. Leave."

The woman furrowed her brows. "Sir - "

"I said leave."

The blue haired woman nodded and did as she was told. Pein waited until the door was fully closed and the woman was down the hall before turning towards the bird.

"To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"I believe you have a debt to pay."

"It's been countless years."

The raven laughed, loud and deep, as it's shadow began to travel on to the wall beside him.

"You wanted to be a God," the shadow laughed, snaking it's way on to the ceiling. Pein followed it with his eyes, making sure not to lose track of it. If he lost his composure for more than a single second, he would be open for attack from all angles. "And I made it possible. Do not think you can defeat me with the unwordly strength I gave you. The first God thought that as well, and if that would have worked neither of us would be standing here, would we?"

"What will be my debt then?" Pein asked through narrowed eyes.

"My daughters protection."

It was his turn to furrow his brows. Was he being serious?

"I never took you for the type to have kids, let alone care about them. Besides... who could harm her when she carries your blood?"

"There is always a bigger picture," the shadow said. "I put full faith in my daughter to take care of herself. It was unexpected, but there is one man who has figured out who she is, and has held her captive for fa too long. His name is as close as the demons on the list of souls I will harness after their deaths... He has evaded natural evolution for so long that his quest in being immortal has started to tire him. He believes my daughter will be the key to his life."

"Orochinaru," Pein already knew. "But why don't you just kill him yourself?"

But there was no response, because the shadow was already gone. The small bird stared at the man only for a brief second before making it's way off into the distance.

* * *

><p>A loud crash echoed through the apartment building, shaking the kitchen table and knocking a few dishes off. Sakura stared at her previous sensei, a worried look aligning her bright green eyes as she took in the sight before her. Never had she seen Kakashi so angry as to lose control. He had never purposely broke anything, never harmed a single creature if he could help it... and here he was, throwing lamps and anything else he could get his hands on.<p>

"Kakashi-sensei..."

The silver haired shinobi looked over to his former student, gaining his composure all at once. He hadn't heard her come in, and he inwardly wished she had missed the show he had just put on.

"Good morning, Sakura. I'm sorry. I didn't see you there."

The pinkette nodded.

"Are you okay, sensei?"

In truth, he was so far from okay it was almost ridiculous. Kirin had returned to Tsunade three weeks ago with nothing to report from Shin. The girl had been gone for almost a year, and while he was upset at the circumstances she had been put under, he had been content with the constant updates Tsunade had given him. Kirin flew back and forth from her owner to Kohana every two weeks, informing the village of the girl's whereabouts and status.

Kakashi had to be restrained when Kirin came back the first time. Shin had been attacked, and was currently being cared for under a private medical ninja. It had taken her almost a week to heal before she was off on her own.

He had sent her a letter once Kirin had informed them of her safety, asking her to request back up if necessary. Pride couldn't get in her way, the mission was much too valuable - her life was much too valuable to be put on the back burner to such a stupid emotion. She had written him back almost immediately, telling him to take care of the apartment and to make sure to bring flowers to her mother's grave. Telling him she was safe. Telling him she would be home soon.

So where was she? Why wasn't she home?

He didn't think he could take losing another important person.

Obito, Rin...

It had taken him so long to let someone else in. She was all he had left.

He turned towards his student, a small smile hiding behind his mask.

"Sakura, would you like some breakfast?"

* * *

><p><em>Haven't you realized that nothing in this life time will ever benefit you? <em>

_His words are all I hear. There are violet eyes that stare right through me and possess the power to convince me that I am a god yet all I can feel is pain and discontent. I want so badly to be free of this life. I want my suffering to be over. I can taste freedom on my lips. I should have told Orochimaru how to kill me and I should have let him do it but my pride was too strong. If I ever see that man again I will hand him the blade myself._

* * *

><p><strong>Present time.<strong>

Itachi slammed the book shut and threw it against a nearby wall. His composure was slipping again, as it always did whenever the red haired woman was involved. What was it about her that made him so insane? That made him stray for the path he had paved for himself? What was it about her that made his heart ache with the thought of her being gone?

There are violet eyes that stare right through me ...

Flashbacks of the silver haired serial murderer flashed through his head. Hidan had always been obsessed with her, even claimed to love her within his sadistic abilities, but Itachi never questioned why the man's sudden change of character seemed to intesnify every time Shin was around.

He knew. He had to have known.

Why had Itachi never seen it before?

Word had spread that Hidan had been killed, but the sharigan user knew for a fact that was impossible. He was an immortal through the end, which meant that the Kohana shinobi that had offed him must have trapped him somewhere.

Itachi would find him.

And then he could die in peace.


	13. Protection

**Chapter Thirteen: Protection**

* * *

><p><strong>Five Years AM<strong>

"It seems deserted. We should just leave."

"Hidan, quit your whining. We will leave once we find the girl."

"I don't understand why Leader would put this as priority over the jinjuurichi. It just seems so stupid to me."

"Everything seems stupid to you because everything you do is stupid."

"Watch it, asshole. I won't seem so stupid when I'm crushing Orochimaru's face with my foot and sacrificing him - "

"Shut up," Kazuku held up his hand. Hidan stopped walking, a sour look on his face. "Do you hear that?"

There was a small pattern of thumps coming from down the hall. The two partners fully entered the base, which seemed to just be a long string of hallways and dead ends, and remained completely silent to assess the direction in which the noise was coming from.

They began down the closest hall, their speed barely over a small jog. Neither of them wanted to be there, and they'd both be damned if they wasted any sort of energy on this voucher. Their plan was simple: grab the girl and run.

"I'll assume this is the right direction. The noise is getting louder."

Hidan nodded, smirking and licking his lips as the two continued down the hall. So far, so good. But he was having a hard time dealing with the lack of blood shed...

"Perfect," the silver haired man laughed as he spotted a group of guards. He took out his scythe before they had time to even assess the situation, drawing blood and stabbing himself through the chest. Kazuku sighed, an irritated vein exposed on his forehead.

"I don't understand why you have to make things so messy... We could have at least questioned them. It would have saved us a lot of time," he groaned, stepping over the fallen bodies. He kicked the door they had been standing outside down with one movement of his leg.

"We'll tell leader we found her after we removed her from this place," Kazuku said, scrunching his nose as he stared down at the body in front of him. She had been bleeding from her head, and judging by the chains that had encircled her hands and ankles, it was her head smacking against the wall that had caused the commotion. "That way if she dies on the way out, we can just tell him she was dead when we found her."

* * *

><p>Hidan was crouched at the foot of the hotel bed, staring at the strange woman as she tossed and turned in her sleep. He was restless, bored, and ready to go ahead and chop her head off at the drop of a dime. Pein had told them to stand by, that the red haired woman was far too valuable to travel with alone. Kisame had taken a spur of the moment leave after meeting some whore in Suna, which meant that Itachi and Zetsu would be the ones helping to escort her back to the base.<p>

"What makes you so special anyway..." he groaned. "You're not even that strong."

The man's eyes widened and he could have sworn his ears grew three times wider as a small noise escaped from the woman's mouth. She stirred slightly, opening her dark eyes and turning over towards him.

Shin screamed.

Kazuku ran in at the first sound of terror, thoughts of Pein decapitating him coming to mind as soon as the girl opened her mouth. However, the act of heroism was lost. Shin took one look at him and screamed again before bursting into a ball of flames.

"WHAT THE HELL!?"

* * *

><p>Itachi had no idea what he was getting into.<p>

The commotion inside the hotel room almost made him question whether or not Zetsu had received the right information. Upon intrusion, however, he realized he had.

He also realized that he needed to start asking more details from Pein before willingly walking into a mission.

It was only as he was holding Hidan by the collar of his shirt did he realize his composure had slipped. He didn't know how or why, but his subconscious had acted for him as soon as he had seen the silver haired man towering above the woman he used to call friend,

"That was unexpected," white Zetsu spoke, entering the hotel after the Uchiha and turning towards the kunoichi who was frozen in shock. "We assume you are Shinawa Natasu? Daughter of Reikyo Hamiruka and Natasu?"

Itachi dropped Hidan as Shin mouthed as quiet yes. Her mother's name wasn't Reikyo. And what kind of man only had one name, and a family one at that?

"If you both are done acting like children," Kazuku finally spoke. "We can begin our journey back to the base."

Shin glanced from the large man with his mass amounts of stitches to Itachi, a small fire working it's way up through the pit of her stomach. Fate really had it in for her.

* * *

><p>They were in formation, with Shin walking between all of them. Itachi was at the perfect angle to see the scabs and dried blood that covered her face and arms. Her eyes were black and blue, her lips were cracked, and there was a slight limp in her step. The entire notion of her actually being injured scared him; she had always healed so quickly, her chest had even closed up directly after he hand stabbed a sword through her heart, but she couldn't heal from a few cuts and bruises? Had Ayame let her go before she was ready? Or had the person who had originally attacked her found her before she had a chance to recuperate?<p>

He had so many questions he refused to ask simply in fear of the repercussions. He would have been safe from accusations had he simply just left Shin and Hidan finish their fight, but there was just something so nerve racking about seeing someone else touch her in any way.

They made their way for seven hours before stopping at a nearby hotel for rest. Shin would bunk with Itachi and Zetsu, for Kazuku and Hidan had dealt with her long enough.

Or so they had claimed.

Shin had immediately made her way to the bathroom and quickly showered. She stared at the mirror for what felt like hours, memorizing every bruise and cut that had made its way to her face. How had she allowed herself to stoop this low? To not even be able to put up a fight? To not even question what they meant by protecting her? She should have been searching for a way to alert Kohana, but she just couldn't bring herself to it. Did what happened to the village really matter at the end of it all?

A small sob worked its way up from her stomach to her throat, and she grabbed her mouth in an attempt to keep the noise in as tears began to stream down her face.

Itachi pretended not to hear the cries that echoed from the bathroom.

If only he knew how badly she wanted to die, then maybe, just maybe, he would have done something. But what could he have possibly done? Itachi could not remember a time where had had heard or seen Shin cry. The night of the massacre, yes, but those were tears of panic, not those of sorrow. Shin had always been unaffected by simple emotion, either not feeling it at all or simply not knowing how to properly process it.

He allowed her time to collect herself, and she managed to do so reasonably. When she exited the bathroom her eyes were not puffy and there were no tear stains on her cheeks. Itachi only stared at her, and her back at him.

How had it come to this? How had they gone from being completely inseparable to being reduced to silence and awkward stares?

Her words rang in his head. _I'll tell you how to kill me. Kill me. _

_Kill me. _

"You keep the bed," she finally spoke. "I'm not going to sleep."

She went for the door, but he was quick enough to grab her wrist. The contact sent shivers down her spine.

"You're not leaving."

She yanked her wrist away from him and slammed the door behind her. Zetsu sprouted up from the ground as she limped off the property.

"We'll follow her," they told the man whose sharigan had activated on it's own. Itachi nodded, before turning and making his way back to the room.

* * *

><p>He relayed the image over and over in his head. Kazuku had said she had been much worse when they had found her. She had been beaten to a pulp, and it was partly from her own doing. Her body had been bound by chains embedded by the very poison that had caused her to go to Ayame in the first place, rendering her almost completely unconscious. Somehow, between the poison and the torture, she had regained enough strength to slam her head against the wall as a signal for help. Kazuku said by the looks of it, she had been doing it for hours before they found her.<p>

Itachi felt partially responsible for leaving her, but he knew deep down there was nothing he could have done about it. He was here now, and he would protect her now. But did that really make up for the times that he didn't?

It took all he had not to chase Orocohimaru down and destroy him, but the death of the snake would only ruin the master plan he had striven so had for. What would Sasuke do without the bastard as a mentor? He could never kill him on his own.

But where was Sasuke when Shin was kidnapped?

As much as the elder brother wanted to convince himself that there was no way Sasuke could have known, he knew it was futile. The minute Orocohimaru got ahold of Shin he would have used her for leverage into Sasuke's head; whether it be for blackmail or strength, there was no way Sasuke could not have known.

Shin re4turned the next morning and the band of five continued off.

Her and Hidan's back and forth bickering could have given anyone an aneurysm.

"Jashin ist he one true God that reigns supreme over all that is - "

"Wrong."

"Excuse me!?"

She didn't retort.

"Listen, you. Jashin exists and he - "

"I didn't say he doesn't exist. I'm sure he does," she said blankly, cutting him off again. How she managed to stay so calm and expressionless infuriated him to no end.

"Then what - "

"What I'm saying is that Jashin is not the true god of evil, in the sense that he does not reign. He's an underling."

"-"

He didn't even get to respond before she continued.

"But continue to live in you fantasy. The world is much prettier that way."

Shin winked up at the raven she had caught sitting in the trees.

Oh, lord, had she missed Kirin.


	14. Ruby Red

**Chapter Fourteen: Ruby Red**

* * *

><p>Nature's first green is gold,<p>

Her hardest hue to hold.

Her early leaf's a flower;

But only so an hour.

Then leaf subsides to leaf.

So Eden sank to grief,

So dawn goes down to day.

Nothing gold can stay.

* * *

><p><strong>Five Years AM<strong>

They made it to the base quicker than expected. Itachi had used his sharigan to knock her out once they were within ten miles of the area, which was a struggle he would have rather not relived. She had known what was coming as soon as he had closed his eyes, and she had tried to run. Zetsu had grabbed her by the shoulders, Kazuku's tentacles by the stomach, and Hidan was swinging his scythe around like a maniac trying to get to her to open her eyes.

Shin didn't believe she would not be sent back to the mental torture he had previously inflicted the last time she had looked into the swirling sharigan. She never wanted to see it again.

Once they arrived, they had brought her to Pein. She had barely woken up when she was greeted by the orange haired leader, who had ordered everyone out.

"Do you know who I am, Shinwari?"

"Someone called Pein," she replied, and he took note that her voice was much too soft for a demon. Her eyes were coal black, which, besides the pointed teeth, gave her a very human appearance. He did not expect that from the daughter of such a reputable demon.

"I am an acquaintance of your father," he replied. "He has requested your protection. Therefore you shall not leave here until he gives the okay. Do you understand?"

She only nodded.

"There will be no contact with the outside world. I understand your duty lies with Kohana, so you must understand the precaution. Should you try to escape, you will be reprehended and contained. If you choose to abide her peacefully, there will be no ill will for any of us. Do you understand?"

She nodded once more. Pein took note of her lack of argument before escorting her to her room.

Shin was in there for no more than fifteen minutes before a pair of cold white hands wrapped around her throat and pushed her into a nearby wall.

"Explain, bitch."

The girl only smirked and closed her eyes before kicking the silver haired shinobi off of her and rubbing her neck.

"Explain?" she questioned, looking at the man through half-lidded eyes.

"If you're so sure that Jashin doesn't reign, then who does? What do you know, creepy girl?"

She actually had to stop herself from smiling. Creepy girl sounded much better than devil child.

Hidan couldn't explain what happened next. The dim lights that were scattered around the room began to flicker, and Shin was in front of him in a flash with pointed teeth and glowing red eyes. It was she who grabbed him by the neck this time, her pointed claws drawing blood as the man began to laugh.

"Holy shit! Yes, Lord Jashin yes!" Hidan fell to the floor as she released him, tears streaming down his face as he belted out his laughter. "I should be bowing to you, but I fucking can't stop laughing. I'm sorry!"

Shin's eyes turned coal and her teeth retracted.

"The rumors... the great anti-God did fall in love with a human... and... gave her his powers! Ha..." he stopped mid-laugh, sitting up straight and staring in her direction with wide eyes. "Wait. Those rumors are from almost nineteen years ago... and the woman... they killed her. That means, holy shit," he scrambled to his knees, realizing his error. "I'm so sorry for laughing! I didn't realize he had a child. Please have Jashin spare me!"

"I have no idea how that works," she replied blanking, closing her eyes and stepping over him. "I was just fucking with you earlier."

She heard him laugh again as she entered the bathroom, this time with more panic in his tone.

* * *

><p>It was days before Itachi saw her again.<p>

According to Hidan, Shin had locked herself in the bathroom that was attached to the spare room she would be staying in and was refusing to come out. Not so much refusing as just sitting in front of the door so nobody could come in. Itachi wanted to ask how it was possible that _he_ was the only one that knew where she was, but he knew that would be much too suspicious. Kisame had already started to notice his tense behavior, and was constantly pestering him about the condition of his health. How many times did Itachi need to say he was fine before it became law?

Four days passed with no interruption. Shin wondered how long she could go without food.

If she couldn't die, then how was starvation possible?

She sighed, bringing her knees up to her chin just as the door knob turned.

"Stop the games, Shin-chan," a familiar voice called. She narrowed her eyes.

"Go away, Itachi," she said, and though she spoke barely over a whisper he heard her clear as day.

"Open the door before I force it open."

_I'd like to see you try,_ she wanted to say. But she remained silent.

Itachi closed his eyes. He gripped the door knob, focusing his chakra to his hand before pulling the door backwards and off its hinges. He was greeting with Shin's back, as she remained crouched with her chin on her knees, barely moving.

He almost felt as if she had reverted back to the child she once was. It had taken him so long to coax words out of her he was unsure of his ability to do it again. Did he even want to try? Could he? She had wanted so badly to speak at Ayame's, yet he had shut her down completely, even accusing her of being pathetic for wanting to rekindle any sort of friendship. So why did he feel the need to speak to her, to assure her everything was going to be okay?

He sighed.

"Shin."

No response.

"You need to eat."

She moved her knees closer to her chest.

_Please._ But the words would not leave his lips.

He sighed, leaving the room completely only to return a few minutes later. He dropped the rice ball beside her.

_I'm so sorry._

_Please forgive me._

_I never meant to hurt you._

But the perfect shinobi owed no apologizes for his actions.

So he said nothing, simply turned his back to her and walked away.

* * *

><p><em>These people aren't human. <em>

_There is a man who killed his entire family at the drop of a dime. _

_There is a man who walks around with gills and pointed teeth, whose skin is blue and eyes are void. _

_There is a man who lives in a plant, whose split personality has morphed into his physical being._

_There is a man with the personality of a child, but the ability of an ANBU._

_There is a man with four mouths and a mechanical eye._

_There is a man with five hearts, whose body must have been torn apart hundreds of times._

_There is a man with orange hair who hides in the shadows._

_There is a woman I've never seen._

_And there is a man that stares into my soul, whose killed thousands of people and himself thousands of times, with no remorse for either._

_I thought I was a monster._

_But I am the most human of them all._

* * *

><p><strong>Five Years, Four Months AM<strong>

**"**Thank the Heavens Itachi is home! He'll be sure to make Hidan shut up. He's giving Tobi a headache."

Itachi only glanced at the orange masked man, an irritated gleam in his eye. He did not have time for Tobi-Madara games; he had worked himself to the point of exhaustion, the previous mission being nothing short of a death trap. His body ached in places he did not know possibly.

"What's the fucker doing now?" Kisame grinned, obviously amused at Tobi's irritated state. It wasn't often that the child got irritated, and the annoyance lingering around him was enough for the shark man to stay. The masked man did not have time to reply, because the shinobi in question had practically sprinted into the room.

"Okay, listen up. I have more choices. Do you like the black gold with the coal diamond or maybe black gold with a ruby?"

Tobi screamed, flailing his arms in the air and running out of the room.

"Are those..." Kisame gaped.

"Shut up and pick," he shoved the open boxes in the shark man's face. The monstrous man backed away, grabbing his stomach as tremors of laughter raked his body.

"Who the hell would want to marry you?"

Hidan only shrugged. "I've bought seven rings. She has to say yes to at least one of them."

Itachi sighed, walking away as Kisame inquired about the woman of the serial killer's choice.

"Shinwari, of course. You think I want to marry Konan?"

Itachi stopped mid step, narrowing his eyes.

"Don't call her that," his voice was deadly.

* * *

><p><strong>Present Time<strong>

He wanted to stop looking.

Hidan's deal was simple: put his body back together, and Itachi could look into his mind for as long as he liked.

He had found the man's body parts with ease, sewing him up and watching as the man danced around the forest. When he was done bragging, and praising his non-existent God, he came back to Itachi with a crooked grin and asked him what he wanted to see.

"Shin's dead," Itachi said, as if Hidan hadn't already known. "She wants me to find out who she is. You know, don't you?"

Hidan had only laughed in response.

"I could just tell you," he said. "But I don't think you'll believe me."

"I want to see it," Itachi dead panned."I do not trust you. But your memories will not lie."

Now he was wishing that he had just let Hidan tell him.

The man's memories were bringing up some of his own he would rather not remember, and the memories shared between the two was something Itachi would rather not see. How could he have missed it?

But he put those to the back of his mind as he focused. He remembered Shin's face as it changed into a monster before his very eyes, as she held Hidan up by the neck and practically ordered submission without having to say a single word. Hidan's words rang through his head.

"_The rumors... the great anti-God did fall in love with a human... and... gave her his powers! Ha..." _

_"Wait. Those rumors are from almost nineteen years ago... and the woman... they killed her..."_

The great anti-God? Was that Natasu?

He sighed, and continued to work his sharigan through Hidan's mind.

* * *

><p><strong>Five Years, Six Months AM<strong>

"It was almost sickening how fast she fell under his spell. The fighting, the minuscule joking, the proposals, but above all the understanding he had for who she was sent shivers down her spine and tremors in her heart.

They fell into each other faster than either of them could breathe. Shin had gone her entire life without touching anyone in that way. There was always a small part of her that had hoped for the perfect dream, of having sex for the first time on her wedding day with the perfect man... which, at one time she had secretly hoped would be Itachi, and then at one point maybe Kakashi... once she was old enough for the age gap to not be awkward... but at that point Itachi had made it clear that he had hated her, and she would probably never see Kakashi again... and her reality was always the same when it came to disappointment. A mass murdering Jashinist was not her dream, but she had never gotten what she wanted anyway.

It had started as an argument, one that Shin herself had started. As fate would have it Itachi had walked out of her room just as Hidan walked in, leaving the silver haired man the only force her anger could go against. She had screamed at him, punched him, burned him, and it was as she went to strangle him that Hidan threw her against the nearest wall and -

kissed her.

She was so appalled she flung him backwards, baring pointed teeth only to jump on him. The red haired woman wrapped her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck, their lips colliding in a desperate attempt to calm herself.

Itachi didn't want her. He hated her.

Hidan wanted her. Accepted her. Maybe even loved her.

She had to take what she could get.

It wasn't romantic. They undressed themselves and the selfishness of the act was nothing short of a mental focus solely on their own release.

Afterwards, as they laid there with their hair sprawled out and their bodies naked, Hidan pulled out another ring. This one silver, with a red ruby surrounded by tiny black diamonds.

"Stop," she said, glancing at him through narrowed black eyes. He did not respond, simply picked up her left hand and slid the ring on her finger.

"He will die some day. We won't. And even if it was possible, we both know you won't allow him to go where we go. So until his time comes, you can tell me no. You can act like this means nothing, and maybe it fucking does. But when he's gone, everyone else will be too, and you'll only have me. Which, shouldn't be too terrible. I understand you, you understand me. Itachi will never love you, and I've come about as close as I can. So keep it. And when the day comes where you are free from the burden of Uchiha Itachi, allow it to mean something."

She lifted the ring up, glancing at it from all angles, the same blank expression aligning her face. Her composure that day had crumbled, the emotion she had hid for the past nineteen years had surfaced and destroyed absolutely everything.

It was then she knew what the rest of her life would hold.

She would go to Orochimaru in the morning.


	15. In Her Blood

**Chapter Fifteen: In Her Blood**

* * *

><p>"It is a lonely feeling when someone you care about becomes a stranger."<p>

— Lemony Snicket

* * *

><p>Itachi remembered it clearly, the day Shin had given herself away.<p>

He had returned from a mission with Kisame, and as it always did when it came to the red haired woman, his composure slipped. Itachi would have rather blamed it on his lack of rest, the pain behind his eyes, or that his body was slowly falling apart and he truly believed the gallons of blood he had been puking up over the past two months were a sign of death.

But he knew better.

Kisame had gone straight to the kitchen, and leaving Itachi with peace for once as he made his way to his room. The way the base was designed was quite simple; there was a common room in which hallways for each room were attached, meaning that Itachi had to pass through the common room to make it to his bed.

He noticed her right away. She was sitting on the floor, filing her nails, which was such an odd sight to him. He assumed that the months of being locked up in a borderline prison would have made her restless and uncomfortable, but it had done the complete opposite. Not one escape attempt was made. Not one argument against Pein had been put up. She was quiet, well kept, and above all an ideal prisoner.

Itachi wanted to walk past her without a word, but he had made the mistake of glancing down.

Shin had filed her nails down to their start. At this point it looked like she was trying to file down her fingers.

There were scars on her arms. Some of the cuts were bleeding,

Her wrists were bruised.

"What happened," he dead panned.

She looked up at him, her black eyes void of any emotion.

"I was angry," she replied.

"So you decided to seek out a fight with an S-class criminal?"

She grinned, throwing him back.

"What makes you think I got in a fight with anyone, Itachi?"

His shargian flashed in an instant as he leaned over and picked the woman up by the collar of her shirt.

"What are you trying to do, Shin?"

She shrugged.

She wasn't even trying to fight.

"Do you really think killing yourself is going to fix anything?" He was angry now, she could tell. With bloody hands she grabbed the side of Itachi's neck, flipping herself backwards over his head. She landed without a sound, not even bothering to turn back before making her way to her room.

He followed her, grabbing the door before it had a chance to close.

When Shin turned towards him this time, her eyes were red, and there was a glowing chakra around her so thick he could have sworn it was forming into blood.

"Get out, Itachi."

"Not until you tell me what you're going to do."

"Why does it matter?" Her voice was deeper. "You tried to kill me, remember? You stuck a sword through my heart. Or do you think I forgot? Do you think me not struggling against Akatsuki meant that I had forgiven you? I haven't. And even when I tried to, you shut me down. Don't you remember what you told me at Ayame's? Do you think I've forgotten. Now, get out. Get the hell away from me."

It was only then did he realize he made a mistake.

Itachi closed his eyes.

"I understand," he replied, his eyes still closed. "And I appreciate your honesty," however brutal, "as I am sure you expect some honesty from me as well," I'm lying, "I hate you, Shinwari. I always have, and I always will. You've been a burden to me since we were children, and I feel as if the constant compassion that I have felt towards you over these past few months is just a sign of how curious my mind still is. How did you survive? Why did you survive? And how is it that you are so pathetic as so throw away such brute strength and stay trapped within an organization you could so easily kill? I cannot stand weaklings. And I cannot stand you."

He opened his eyes. The chakra barrier was gone. Her eyes were black.

"Goodbye, Shin."

The silver haired shinobi passed him as he walked out of her room.

* * *

><p><strong>Present Time<strong>

"She went to Orochimaru," Hidan continued, cracking his neck. Itachi had given up looking into his memories, and instead was listening to the rest of it. "She didn't tell me anything, but her eyes said it all. In her mind, she was already dead."

"If you loved her then why did you let her die?"

Hidan's smirk would be on that would haunt him for all of eternity.

"The bitch killed herself. If I tried to stop her, she would have easily beaten me, or found another way to do it. Either way, our outcome will still be inevitable. I'll be with her in life and in death, whether it be as a friend, as a husband, or as a slave."

Itachi didn't understand. Hidan continued anyway, his smirk lingering.

"It took her so long to accept me because she was holding on to hope that somewhere, deep down, the emotionless Itachi Uchiha could feel something for her besides mild annoyance. She thought you didn't love her, but I can see it. You regret it, don't you? Letting her fall so far from you when you could have kept her wrapped around your fingers this entire time. "

Itachi narrowed his eyes.

"She fought for you against me. I could have given her everything and she didn't want it, because you were too damn precious. Let me give it to her now. Don't take away her right."

"She's dead." Didn't he know?

"But she'll come back. She'll always come back. The daughter of the devil will never die. It's in her blood."

* * *

><p>It occurred to him that he shouldn't have wanted this to be real. He should have backed off from Kirin's ludicrous mission as soon as the raven had landed on his lap. He inwardly hoped that she wouldn't come back, that Kirin was wrong and that these people were wrong and that Shin would continue to rest in peace.<p>

It was selfish to want her back. It was selfish to force her back to earth when he could have stopped her passing to begin with.

But he was stupid. He was so caught up with Itachi that he couldn't help the one person who had always gone out of her way to protect him. The night of the massacre, the chuunin exams, the day he had gone after Itachi, she had always been there.

Shin could say it was a suicide mission, she could say she wanted it, but he still could have stopped it. He could have prevented the disaster before it even had a chance to begin.

One of the hooded followers of Shin's father began to draw a circle in the center of the dirt. Another stood in the center of the circle holding a burning candle and whispering hysterics to herself. The other touched Sasuke's shoulder, giving him the go ahead.

He tossed the sword down in the middle of the circle. They waited. Nothing.

"Please don't tell me you used the wrong sword," the girl snapped. "You were supposed to kill Orochimaru with the same sword he used to kill Shinwari. That's the only way her body can harness his soul and - "

The forest grew quiet as the circle lit up in flames, the sword standing up on it's point seemingly on it's own. The birds that had been hiding in the night scattered, along with any other animal within a five mile radius.

Sasuke backed away as a blood curling scream echoed throughout the forest, but the cloaked man beside him pushed him forward, forcing him to watch as the flames began to glow black and shape around the sword. The screams became louder and high pitched as the flames morphed into a small, hunched figure, regaining their bright red color and then disappearing altogether.

Sasuke stood with a horrified expression at the woman crouched down, bent over the sword with a long, red cloak covering her shoulders. The three followers dropped to their knees immediately, bowing at her presence.

"Shinwari-sama!" The female member cried. "We are your loyal followers, we - "

The girl could not finish her sentence, for the woman had gracefully thrown the sword to the base of her neck, chopping her head off.

"Don't call me that," she growled.

"What!?" the man next to Sasuke gasped. "But we - "

Even Sasuke had to stifle a scream as the woman appeared next to him, shoving her hand through the man's chest and ripping out his heart.

"Shin..."

The girl turned towards Sasuke, and then tiowards the last living member of the group. She chucked the heart in his direction,

"Tell my father how grateful you are that he would entrust such pathetic creatures to resurrect his daughter," she said, before turning towards the avenger, her eyes narrowed. "And go quick, before I kill you."

The man ran off without a single word.

"What the hell did you just do!?"

Sasuke let out a gasp as he was thrown against a nearby tree, his back cracking in multiple places at the impact.

"No," she spoke, appearing in front of him and lifting him up by the collar of his shirt. "What the hell did you just do!? I told you not to avenge me."

"I didn't... I... you wanted this! Kirin told me."

"Kirin is a lying sack of shit and since when do you believe animals over the words I wrote to you in my own blood?"

"I saved you."

"You destroyed me."

She punched him in the face. Once, twice, three times.

"Where is Itachi?"

"I don't know."

She grabbed him by the throat now, lifting him up with only one arm.

"I need you to pull your head out of your ass and tell me. I know you know," she squeezed tighter now. She needed to find him, needed him to know that she knew the truth, and that it was so pathetic it was practically blinding.

Shin threw the younger Uchiha to the ground. He landed on his knees, rolling back and pushing himself up into a fighting position.

Shin didn't move on the gesture. She stood with her arms at her sides, her head cocked to her side, and a fire in her eyes so passionate Sasuke's instincts were screaming at him to flee.

"It doesn't matter where he is," Sasuke spoke finally. "I'm going to take care of him for the both of us. For what he did to us. For - "

His eyes widened on impact. The woman's fist hit his abdomen with such force he truly believed it could have killed him had the position of her hand been just slightly different. He fell to his knees, grabbing his stomach as Shin bent over so that they were eye level.

"Listen to me, Sasuke," she spat. "There was never an us, and there will never be an us. Don't group me into the same category as you. Our wants and our needs are very different, do you understand? I should kill you right now," she placed her hand on his chest, and when he wanted to move back she used her other hand to hold him in place by his neck, "I should rip out your heart. But I won't, because it goes against what Itachi wants. And you're just too dense to see it."

She stood up, her red eyes fading to black as she stared down at him. She lifted her hand with her palm up, a small ball of fire appearing before her.

It was then he noticed the gold that aligned her cloak, and the black dress hidden beneath it.

"What happened to you?" He asked.

"Why don't you ask the man that set you up to this," she said, her normal, soft voice regulating as she threw the ball of fire to the ground and disappeared within its flames.

Sasuke could only blink at the scene before him. Standing up, he closed his eyes and reminded himself that tomorrow his brother would be dead and this would be all over.


	16. Nevermore

**Chapter Sixteen: Nevermore**

* * *

><p>People think that if you love somebody hard enough then everything is just going to work out.<p>

People are wrong.

- OTH

* * *

><p><strong>Present Time<strong>

She was faster than the speed of light.

The months spent in the underworld had increased her speed more than she had ever thought possible. She would be surprised if there was anything human left in her after the pain she had endured there. Her anger was spiking with each passing second, the flames around her growing as she removed the sword from her began and stared slashing through the forest trees. She could have gone around them, but destroying them felt so much better.

She needed to find him. Needed to get him somewhere safe. She should have offed Sasuke right then and there, but Sasuke would not be the true cause of Itachi's death. She had learned that along with the truth.

She still couldn't believe it. That Itachi had been put up to it - had been ordered to kill everyone closest to him. That Shin was simply a collateral in the entire massacre, that he had purposely placed his actions on the night she was supposed to be gone. He hadn't wanted to kill her, hadn't wanted to kill any of them.

She remembered picking up the witch by her throat and throwing her into the pit of fire. The woman's screams meant nothing to her; there was no way she could die down there. The woman materialized her after a few minutes, eyes wide and panting.

"Show me," she growled. "Show me all of him."

She needed to find him before it was too late.

* * *

><p>A small growl escaped the she-demon's lips as the vines of the forest descended, wrapping themselves around her wrists and ankles and hanging her inbetween the trees as if she was a fly on a spiders web.<p>

"Let me go you bastard!" She screamed, struggling against the vines. "You got what you wanted, you brought me back! So let me save him!"

A small chuckle echoed throughout the forest.

"He doesn't want to be saved, Shinwari."

"I don't care! I want him saved! This is for me! I deserve this! I deserve something! Redemption, sanctuary! I want love! I want it, I want it, I want it, please..." she was sobbing at this point. "Let me get what I want this time..."

"I'm sorry," the voice laughed. "But you wanted has never mattered. You know this."

She growled, her eyes glowing as her body burst into flames. If the devil had a face, she would have seen the shock that he had felt at that moment. Her normally red flames were a pitch black, her glowing eyes just as dark.

The veins around her ankles snapped, and she sprinted through the forest without another word. He didn't bother going after her.

The fight had already begun.

* * *

><p>The red haired woman threw her arms up in the air as she opened the cabin doors. A red barrier of chakra formed around the wooden building, taking hold and then concealing itself. Shin stripped off her clothes quickly, sprinting up the stairs to grab old black pants and a plain black bandeau top. She couldn't properly fight in a dress. Why the leaders of the underworld cared for things such as appearance astounded her, but she didn't need to worry about that anymore.<p>

She threw the cloak back over her shoulders and began to make her way down the stairs just as the door was kicked down.

She looked over at the Kohana shinobi that had managed to break through that chakra barriers that she had set up around the cabin. There was no flicker of recognition, no nod of approval, no words to suppress the shocked expressions that aligned their faces. Especially Kakashi's, whose mask was not enough to hide the surprise that lingered in his eyes, the pounding of his heart, the beads of sweat that began to form from the anxiety that was his confusion.

In any other circumstance, there would be a small lifting of her lips into a smile, a slight wave, or even an acknowledging tilt of her head. However, for the first time in what seemed like her entire existence, she had finally succeeded in feeling absolutely nothing at all.

"Shin, what the hell are you doing here?" Kakashi finally spoke.

"Leaving," she replied, and the coldness of her voice could almost send shivers down his spine. Naruto looked back and forth between the two, a confused expression plastered among his childish face.

"How do you know her, Kakashi-sensei? She saved me from Akatsuki all those years ago."

"You're supposed to be dead," Kakashi responded, completely ignoring his student.

"Sasuke killed Orochimaru," she replied bluntly, leaning against the window sill and closing her eyes. "Orochimaru killed me. When he died, I took over the remaining life force his soul left behind."

He didn't understand, but he didn't question her further on the subject. He knew the woman well enough to know that she would never reveal precious information, no matter how hard her opponent tried to coax it out of her. Torture had nothing on Shin's ability to stay quiet - Ibiki had tried it himself when she had been inducted into ANBU, trying to see if there was any way to make the girl crack.

There wasn't.

So instead, he switched the subject.

"Why was Itachi Uchiha looking for you?"

The accompanying shinobi in the room snapped their heads toward their sensei - Naruto, Sakura, and four others Shin could not quite place the names of. There's was a yearning, an aching in the back of her mind, to open her eyes and set them all ablaze.

"Was he?" She asked.

"Kirin said you had sent her to him after your death," Kakashi replied, his eyes narrowing, the annoyance of the entire situation before him finally setting in. "He was going through the apartment after your funeral, and kept returning to Kohana again and again without a single stir of violence towards any of it's citizens."

"Itachi always liked to avoid unnecessary deaths," she replied, opening her eyes and glaring. There was a throbbing at the back of her head that told her to forget Itachi altogether and go straight back to her father, who had obviously been more present than she had given him credit for.

I will give you a gift, he had said before permitting Kirin to speak, which was the only confidence Shin had to open her own voice. But Kirin had never gotten a voice, she had only received another's soul. A demon's.

"Shin, you must know by now that Itachi Uchiha is dead. Sasuke has once again disappeared. You are the only person left here with any knowledge of the two brothers. Please."

The self control she had managed to keep during that statement surprised even herself.

"Are you begging, Kakashi-kun? It's so out of character."

He wanted to grab her by the throat and throw her against the wall, to tell her out of character she was being, how this cruel, unusual Shin had nothing over the shy, quiet shinobi that he had formed his home around - that this personality of hers should have stayed dead if it was the only one he was going to deal with from her. Instead, he only sighed, closing his visible eye in mild annoyance.

Was this really her?

Or was fate playing a cruel twisted joke on him.

"Itachi Uchiha was looking through my things because he had questions I could not give him while I was alive. I owed him nothing short of a misguided quest that would waste the time he believed was so precious to him. He deserved an inconvenience, and I gave it to him because I knew his curiosity would get the best of him in the end. I came here looking for him, to find out if he had figured the answer out for himself, but it appears I was too late. Like you have just said, he's dead. "

There. She had said it. Finally admitted it.

She was too late.

Itachi Uchiha was dead and he was never coming back.

"Still you manage to give me nothing," Kakashi responded. "You do realize that your refusal can be seen as a threat towards Kohana?"

Her response was so silly, so out of character that a small ounce of fear actually chilled the Jounin's bones. The girl had cocked her head back, red hair falling off her shoulders, and let out a loud, barking laugh that shook her entire body.

"Kakashi," she replied after finally calming down, a grin remaining on her face as her coal black eyes began to swirl into a burning red. "What makes you think I'm not?"

At this, the team that had accompanied the Copy ninja all tensed, their arms up and ready to strike. Kakashi was tempted to lift his hand to call them off, but the black eyes that had recently inhabited his old comrad's skull had disapeared and were once again replaced with the demonic red ones that could strike fear in even the strongest shinobi's heart.

Shin grinned, baring pointed teeth. The aura around her was nothing short of threatening, but she did not put herself in a position to fight. She continued to stand up straight, cackling in their direction - taunting them even though she was out numbered.

"Kakashi-sensei," the pink haired ninja asked, panic in her voice. "Do you smell something burning?"

"I smell it, Sakura," he replied. But how? And...where?

"And his eyes have all the seeming," the girl spoke, her grin never faltering as she slowly lifted her right arm into the air. "Of a demon's that is dreaming."

"Kakashi-sensei - "

"Not yet," Kakashi responded hastily, his eyes never faltering from Shin's palm, which had been layed flat as it lingered above her head.

"And the lamplight o'er him streaming," she moved two fingers, the lights above their heads going out as she did so. Sakura moved up, preapred to strike, but Kakashi held his arm out to stop her.

"Throws his shadow on the floor," Shin threw her arm down to the floor, breaking the wooden ground with her bare palm, and facing the floor as she did so.

"Now," Kakashi yelled, rushing towards her, the team of six behind him following. His fist was out, aimed for her. Shin lifted her head right before his fist collided, smirking at him as she grabbed his wrist with her other hand and flung him over her shoulder.

"And my soul from out that shadow," she continued, kicking her legs up and kicking Sakura in the stomach, her hand never leaving the ground. The other five were rushing towards her, and she stared at them straight on, not budging and inch. "That lies floating on the floor... shall be lifted," she closed her eyes, as if bracing herself for impact.

"Nevermore."

And the demon child disapeared in flames.

* * *

><p>"Shin-chan, was it?"<p>

The girl looked up from her position on the floor of the cave and into the eyes of the rather large man in front of her. She had seen him before, only in passing. The first time was when he and Itachi had gone after Naruto, the second was a few weeks after her stay at the Akatsuki base.

A small nod was her only response.

"I'm surprised," he said, not moving from his position. She had been leaning forward, her arms placed casually over her knees and her hair falling over her shoulders in clumps instead of neatly pulled back like it usually was. "I thought Itachi's girlfriend would be a little more..." he paused with a slight chuckle, not believing the words that were coming out of his mouth at the moment. Itachi - girlfriend? The two words barely fit together. Then again, Itachi's actions within the last twentyfour hours barely fit him, either. It was almost too much for the shark man to digest.

She cocked her head to the side, waiting for him to finish, but he never did. Only sighed and took a seat next to her on the cold floor.

"Are you going to kill him?" Kisame asked after moments of silence. By him, the girl could only think of Sasuke.

Shin sighed, pulling the rubber band around her wrist off and twisting her hair back in an attempt to distract herself. What could she tell him? What did he already know?

"Had Itachi ever mentioned me?"

"In passing, once. I was giving him shit about never sleeping with a woman, and he said he had no room for trivial pleasure. I took this as a sign that he had someone in mind already, but Itachi would never discuss personal things. I kind of put the pieces together after you were brought to Akatsuki. I had never seen him more screwed up than when you were mentioned."

"He tried to kill me."

Kisame's eyes widened, but only slightly. He wasn't so much surprised at his partner's attempt at her life, only surprised that the word "tried" had been thrown in there as well. Itachi never tried, he only succeeded.

"What stopped him?"

She tilted her head to the side, looking Kisame straight in the eyes. Her eyes were darker than the shark had ever seen, even darker than Itachi's own.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"What, did the great Itachi Uchiha have a heart for anyone besides his pathetic excuse for a brother?"

Shin shook her head.

"Then what is it?"

And for the first time throughout her entire journey through life in death, Shin Natasu told the truth.

"My Father is the Devil."

* * *

><p>The orange masked man who Shin once knew as Tobi eventually made his way to the cave to collect her. He had bent over and held out his hand for her, but she had pushed him away instead, helping herself up.<p>

"That's a nice cloak, Shin-chan," he spoke, his voice much deeper than before. "I take it you enjoyed your journey underground?"

"Do not think for one moment that I do not know who you are," Shin responded grimly. "And it would be wise to remember who I am before making the mistake of pissing me off."

"Such a temper," the man responded, turning his back towards her. "Follow me."

Kisame couldn't help but shake his head as he watched the two depart. Picking up his sword, he turned his back towards them and made his way towards where Zetsu was located. The game had changed, and now it was time to regroup.

* * *

><p>Madara watched as the woman took a seat in one of the broken down chairs that had been in the room he had brought her too. The way she sat, with her legs crossed and her hand patiently tapping her knee made it seem as if she thought of him as nothing but a lower human; in her eyes, he was weak, and the thought infuriated him.<p>

But he needed to keep his cool. He needed her for this plan to work. If he pissed her off, he could take her down without an issue. It was the repercussions of the take down that would haunt him for all of eternity.

"So, Shinwari, how was your time in the - "

"Shut up," Shin snapped. "I'm not here to play games, Madara. If you're here to tell me about the Uchiha Massacre, you're wasting your time. I already know everything."

Madara narrowed his eyes.

He could finally understand why Itachi was so easily triggered by her presence. She was infuriating.

"You got all your answers after you killed yourself, didn't you? Was that the reason behind this mess you've created?"

"I had my reasons," she responded. "Now, what are yours?"

"Excuse me?"

"For one, why did you help Itachi kill your family? Two, why are you still alive after all of these years? My father should have collected your soul long ago. Not that I'm upset by it, once I return home I'll be the one to take you, and trust me, I won't make it pretty. Three, what the hell do you want with me? I can't help you. I'd rather watch you burn than help you."

"Why such distaste for me, Shin-chan?"

She bared her teeth at the voice Madara had managed to speak with. How did he manage to mock him so perfectly?

"For whatever reason, Itachi didn't trust you. This much I know. And because of that, I don't trust you either. Sasuke's gone, and the only person he could have possibly gone to was you. Have you told him, then? That he killed the one person that had done everything for him?"

"Is that envy I smell?"

"No, it's not. The world has always been aligned in one way, and because of that there was no other outcome for this situation. Everything Itachi has and will always do will be for Sasuke and Kohana, everything I do will always be for Itachi, and everything Sasuke will ever do will be destroying the world we both were trying to create without ever realizing we were working together. I'm not envious of Sasuke, Madara. I want to destroy him."

Madara couldn't help but let out a laugh at this.

"If everything you do is for Itachi, then why would you kill the one person he died to protect?"

"Because," she stood up now, the red cloak parting as reached for a small chain around her neck where a small ring sat. "Either way, Itachi loses. You know that as much as I do."

Madara smirked.

Sasuke would destroy Kohana. Shin would destroy Sasuke.

Things were finally starting to go in his favor.

If only Madara knew how the woman's mind worked; how the words that came out of her mouth were never half of the thoughts that twisted through her head. How she already knew of Sasuke's plans to destroy Kohana - she knew the boy too well to think otherwise, and that she would kill Sasuke before he got the chance.

Everything she did would be for Itachi.

If she let Sasuke live, then he would destroy the place Itachi had sacrificed everything for.

If she killed Sasuke, then she would destroy the person Itachi had sacrificed everything for.

Itachi lost. Either way he lost.

But the loss of a single person was a much better outcome than the loss of an entire population.

If Sasuke lived the Uchiha clan died for nothing.

If Sasuke lived Itachi was exiled and betrayed for nothing.

He died for nothing.

She would not let that happen.


	17. The Forbidden Heart

**Authors Note: **Alright, so there are exactly THREE chapters left after this. Originally, it was 4-5, but I'd like to keep a nice clean number (20) and meshing bits and pieces of the storyline together didn't really confuse the chapter arc any. Again, PLEASE review and let me know what you think. I'm debating a sequel, but if I don't get too much positive feedback I won't bother with it simple because there are other stories that I need to focus on.

I'd like to thank everyone who has bothered to review over the past 16 chapters. **LostLonelyLies, Mintakaa, Hikiri, annzzzy, another wanna be author, and all the anonymous reviews**. Thanks for those who started reading, and for those that stuck around and are continuing to stick around to the end. This is the first story I've EVER truly completed, and it's taken me 8 months to do so but I can definitely say I am excited for it.

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><p><strong>Chapter Seventeen: The Forbidden Heart<strong>

Maybe some girls are not meant to be tamed.

Maybe they are supposed to run wild until they find someone just as wild to run with.

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><p>Tsunade was not surprised as she read the reports of the Uchiha brothers final battle. Kakashi, Yamato, and their team had been too late; Itachi was dead, and Sasuke was missing. Even though the woman had hoped and prayed that the young boy would return home after his life long mission was complete, as to put the rest of her shinobi at ease, she was not taken aback when he had not. What had shocked her, however, was how the reports seem to match up almost perfectly when it came to the abandoned cabin in the woods.<p>

Sensing a dangerous presence, Kiba had rushed towards the small home. The urgency had alerted Kakashi, who had broken down the door with a single kick, and the army of shinobi rushed in to find a woman in red.

The same woman whose funeral had been held not too long ago.

Had it not been for every single report describing Reikyo's daughter perfectly, Tsunade would have had Kakashi's mind analyzed for schizophrenia. It wouldn't have surprised her if his mind had created a Shin clone in order to keep him sane; it happened more often than not with the way shinobi lost those closest to them.

But, alas, every report read the same. Not only was Shin alive, or someone had managed to perfectly disguise themselves as her, but she was an admitted threat to Kohana. The thought alone sent shivers down the Hokage's spine.

She remembered Shin's mother clearly. They were friends in a past life, even though Tsunade was a good fifteen or so years older than her. Reikyo was an excellent kunoichi, far ahead of her peers just as her daughter was, but her obnoxious nature got the better of her. Her determination did not outweigh her childish instinct in the same way Naruto's did.

Blonde and beautiful, Reikyo had managed to capture the eyes of almost every shinobi and citizen in her age group and above. She had turned them all down immediately, never bothering to flirt or get caught up in their silly ideas of what a date should be. "Sorry, I'm seeing someone," would be her only response as her dark eyes lit up and her lips curled into a smile.

Tsuande had confronted her one day, asking her why she turned down everyone who even just wanted to take her out for a cup of coffee, or a drink of sake. The men weren't ugly, and they were definitely talented.

"Tsunade, I'm not lying when I tell them I'm seeing someone," the woman had said with a sly grin.

"Then why do you never bring him around? Is he ugly, are you ashamed of him? Please don't tell me you're dating a civilian."

Reikyo brought her finger to her lips.

"It's a secret."

But the secret was not hidden for long. One day, after a long mission, Tsunade had decided to take a walk by the river side in order to clear her head. Orochimaru was growing restless, and accusations throughout the village were starting to point directly at him. Her mind was swamped with possibilities. Did she defend her teammate, or did she defend the village? Who did she fight for in times of desperation? Who would fight for her?

It was then she heard a familiar giggle. The busty woman stopped walking and immediately lifted herself up into a nearby tree.

She stared down at the scene before her. Reikyo was sitting by the river, her arms wrapped around her knees. She was wearing a black dress that hung to her ankles, her bright blonde hair tied up in a neat bun. She was talking to someone, though Tsunade could not make out who. Her smile was bright and welcoming as she talked and laughed along with whoever was there.

Tsunade watched in horror as the woman stood up and extended her hand. A black shadow crawled up her leg from the ground, wrapping around her body until it reach her hand. It retracted into her hand, and Reikyo rembraced it. The shadow began to form next to her, but it wasn't much of a shape.

Tsunade heard the shadow whisper something. She couldn't make out the words, but hte voice was deep and scratchy.

"I love you," Reikyo whispered, letting go of the shadows makeshift hand. "Forever."

And then the woman's eyes turned red as the shadow wrapped around her neck.

"Rei!"

The woman jumped from the tree, running towards her friend and grabbing her by the shoulders. Reikyo gasped, her eyes turning back to black. The shadow retracted from her throat, making its way back to the ground and disapearing completely.

"Tsunade," the woman said, blinking.

"What was that thing, Rei? What were you doing with it? Why was it trying to kill you - "

"Tsunade," Reikyo repeated. "It's okay. He's a friend."

"He, whose He? What the hell is going on?"

Tsunade's eyes widened as Reikyo once again brought a single finger to her lips.

"It's a secret."

Tsunade blinked and shook her head as the memory disappeared. Even in death, she could not be free of the bond she had created with the insane woman. There was an aching in her gut that wanted to protect Shin just for the sake of old friendship, but she knew Shin could easily destroy Kohana with a single blow. It would be the Kyuubi attack all over again, and she wasn't going to take that risk for anyone.

Not even for the woman whose death hung on her head all these years.

* * *

><p>Sasuke couldn't help but stare.<p>

Shin sat in the corner of the cave, leaning against the wall for support with one leg in front of her and the other pulled up so that her arm could casually rest on it. Her katana was gripped loosely in the same hand as she stared outside the cave. She had not said a single word since Madara had brought her there.

Karin, of course, was skeptical and obnoxious as usual. She had sensed the recognition in their chakra before Sasuke even realized it was Shin who was following behind the ancient man. Madara couldn't be around for Sasuke to recover, so he needed someone he could trust to keep them in line while the younger Uchiha thrived. Sasuke went to argue, but all it took was one look from Shin to put him in his place.

The others were confused by Sasuke's sudden change of character. For someone who was supposed to be their leader, he seemed to put off by such a small woman to be anything close to a person they could follow. However, as he regained his strength he fell back into his place, not bothering with her. All she did was sit and wait.

He wanted to ask her if she felt the same way he did, if she wanted to destroy the very people that had hurt Itachi so bad, but every time he got close the flashbacks of the demon she could become pounded through his mind.

It was the day his team set off for the Gyuuki that Shin finally spoke. He was almost surprised by it, thinking of her more as a statue than an actual person after the weeks he spent healing. Karin was babbling about how she couldn't wait to show Sasuke all the things she had accomplished with her fighting abilities, and how he would love her indefinitely after that. They would rule the world together with Juugo and Suigetsu following closely behind.

The group of four was taken back by a chuckle. When they turned, Shin's head was down, the red hair that had been let loose from her pony tail long ago falling in front of her eyes. She was smirking, pointed teeth seemingly digging into her lips.

"What's so funny?" Karin glared.

"You," Shin replied after a few moments of silent. "Are quite disturbed."

"Excuse me!?" Karin said, stepping forward and raising her fist. "You wanna say that to my face, ugly?"

The younger woman was caught off guard as the katana that was previously in Shin's hand whizzed past her head, cutting off a few strands of hair before emebdding itself in the wall behind her. Karin gulped as Shin cocked her head to the side, her black eyes staring through her rather than at her. Her mouth was closed now, her lips pursed together in annoyance.

"We'll build a life together," Shin's voiced matched hers completely. "Fighting the evils of this world and reigning completely. Oh, wait," Shin looked up at the ceiling, touching her chin as if to look like she was contemplating. "You're a murderer, and I'm a physcopath. If we're going to battle the evils of this world, shouldn't we be fighting each other? But, I couldn't do that to my dear Sasuke, because I love him so much. His genetics are inspiring. Heh."

Karin clenched her fists.

"Shin," Sasuke spoke after what felt like hours.

"Sasuke," the woman said. "What do I owe this pleasure? You going to defend your girlfriend?"

Sasuke clenched his jar and narrowed his eyes.

"Are you on our side or not?"

The woman grabbed her stomach and doubled over on the ground, the hysterical laughter living her lips echoing throughout the cave as she jerked and twitched in amusement. That was all the answer Sasuke got, however, for Madara had walked in to see them off.

"What are you playing at, Shinwari?" Madara asked. "He's not dead yet."

"Oh," Shin said, smirking as her own fathers words came to mind. "There is always a catch."

* * *

><p>It was raining again.<p>

Shin had just returned to the cave upon Madara's instructions. Sasuke and his team were returning quickly, and he could not be there to greet them. Shin wanted to ask him when she agreed to be his servant girl, but she kept her mouth shut. She needed to be there when Sasuke finally died, and if following Madara around to the ends of the earth would do it, then so be it.

As much as she wanted to end his life herself, she could not give in to temptation so easily. If he was murdered, chances were he had not done enough evil for her to collect his soul. She didn't want to just kill him, she wanted to torture him for all of eternity. She wanted to harness his strength within her.

That did not mean she would not kill him in the chance that he actually got to Kohana. A death to prevent a massacre was enough for her to rightfully take his spirit.

"Help," the red head said as the three of them dropped their leader to the ground. Shin only stared at the bloodied body of the former Uchiha.

"No."

"Are you serious? He's going to die."

Shin smirked.

"How can you be so cruel?" Karin asked, the anger in her voice turning into desperation.

Shin didn't respond. She owed no answers.

In a fit of rage Karin punched the ground, turning to Sasuke and healing him with such desperation the woman didn't even think she was using chakra anymore. She stabilized him enough to live until proper treatment was sought, passing out right beside him.

Shin bent over and placed her hand over the girls heart.

"STOP!"

Turning towards the oange haired man, who was more of a boy now than anything else, Shin retracted her hand and stood up.

"I'm not going to kill her," she responded.

"Then what were you doing?"

"Feeling her life force," she responded. "Do you want to know yours?"

"Excuse me?"

"I can tell you how you're going to die, and when. And I can tell you how your afterlife will be. Whether or not you'll be stuck with me fo all of eternity."

"Why would you.. why..."

'Because there's always a catch, always a price to pay. Yours, well... that will be a little more costly than most," she glanced over to the white haired boy who was passed out on the ground, his precious sword snapped in half. She wondered how Sasuke managed to worm his way into their hearts, how a boy who had never questioned anything had become a leader. He was selfish and impractical. He was strong, but that was the only part of him worth anything.

Was he worth it, she wondered, moving her eyes back to the raven haired boy. Itachi... was he really worth all this? Was Kohana worth out there?

There was a crack of thunder as lightning flashed across the sky. Juugo still hadn't answered her, and it was truly for the better. She could feel the last pieces of humanity slipping from her; she was becoming more like her father every day. Killing without a second thought, striking deals and stealing peoples hopes and dreams...

Was it any different with her mother, she wondered? Did her father go to the ends of the earth to protect her?

She could only imagine so. There was no sight of Reikyo in the underworld. Even when Shin had managed to gain her power, managed to overthrow her father and banish him to the human side of the void, no one knew of her. They hadn't even heard of Shin, which made her overthrow such a surprise to them.

She gripped the ring around her neck.

Had he protected Reikyo just as she had protected Itachi? Just as she was still trying to protect him?

Juugo coughed, bringing her back to reality.

"I remember you," the boy spoke. "Orocohimaru... he..."

"Yes," Shin responded, cutting him off. "He did."

"Is that why you hate him... Sasuke?" the boy asked. Shin noticed how the tension in his shoulders was slowly subsiding. "Because he didn't help you?"

"Sasuke's done a lot of horrible things," she said. She owed him no answers, but she would give them anyway. "He forced me away from a place where I was finally comfortable, and then he took away someone precious to me."

'His brother."

It wasn't a question. It was a statement. Shin only nodded.

"Everyone dies," she said after a few minutes of silence. "I know this. But... Itachi spent so much time protecting others that he never gave a damn about himself. I was trying to protect him, but Sasuke..."

Sasuke listened to the voice of a bird and took her away before her plan could enact. Shin wanted justice, and if she could not give it in this life she would give it in the afterlife. She had gone to the witch and forced her to show her everything. She knew there was so much Itachi would never tell her, would never reveal to anyone except his own mind, but his secrets couldn't escape her down there. The witch opened the portal to the past, and Shin had to watch as the Uchiha clan fell apart.

She watched the Hokage order him to kill his family.

She watched as he argued with the council members about when.

He had strategically placed the night of the massacre during one of her missions. She had come home too soon, she wasn't supposed to be there, she had made herself a loose end.

She saw Madara.

She saw Sasuke.

And she saw her father.

The red haired woman had destroyed the portal, and then the witch's entire estate. Which, was just a cave in the back of the volcano that was Shin's father's castle. She had found a way to earn the demons of the plane's trust, and then eventually formed an army. She had cast a barrier to keep her father out; he would be trapped in the human realm for all eternity as punishment for what he had done.

As long as Shin was in charge, she could twist fate; she could make it so that Itachi never saw the disgusting place that was her new home. He was too good to reside down there, so she had to make sure that the universe aligned in such a way in which his death would lead him to redemption.

They would never be together. But she was okay with it.

An angel would never willingly be with a demon, anyway.

The barrier was created with her own chakra and blood, and she had to remain there for the barrier to be kept. Her father knew this, so he went after Sasuke. He promised Sasuke that Shin wanted to be resurrected, that she would help him in the battle against his brother. Sasuke had argued, saying that he had to kill Itachi himself. Kirin had promised that Shin wouldn't interfere, that she would simply allow him some of her strength. She was strong enough to keep everyone out of the fight.

He resurrected her. Her father reclaimed the throne. She didn't make it in time to save him.

"Sasuke's selfish," Juugo said. "But he saved us from the hell hole Orochimaru put us in. He may have hurt you, but we owe him our lives. I hope you understand that."

Shin nodded. They said nothing more.


	18. Terrible Things

**Authors note: I apologize in advance for the length of this. I hope I answered everyone's questions accordingly. **

**Unknown:** I think this chapter and the next will definitely clear this up for you. The breakdown has been written, don't you fear. As much as I would love to make Shin the perfect comparison for Itachi (the perfect shinobi), what I have created her to represent makes that near impossible. There have been a few breakdowns starting when Itachi first arrived to kidnap Naruto, though they were very subtle. Another was when she chose to sleep with Hidan, which was more of an inner breakdown that an outward one. But the outward one IS coming, I assure you.

Thank you so much for the feedback!

**XXHeartbeat**: The Hidan/Shin moment is coming, but sadly I cannot make it too fluffy. I have to admit at first I was skeptical about pairing the two to begin with, but with the backstory of Shin, Hidan is actually her most compatible partner. In a different universe, Hidan would be the main pairing for her BECAUSE of whose blood she carries. But because Shin was raised in Kohana, she carries too much morality, and her inner want has always been to keep her humanity.

The way I was (and still am for two more chapters) trying to portray Shin is exactly how you described it. All she ever wanted was to be loved, and to finally be put first. She spent her entire existence taking care of everyone but herself (her foster mother, and then Kohana) even after such terrible things have happened to her.

I think the closing chapter will definitely help you on your Sasuke questions (at least I hope it will). But the thing we have to remember about Sasuke's personality is that he is, and always will be, an avenger. It was written in his genes from the beginning. And because of this, he will always be selfish. He killed (or attempted to) Karin just to get to Danzou. Karin, though annoying, stood beside him and helped him even GET to Itachi. She was his teammate, and though Shin had been around far longer than Karin had, she was still another pawn in his game. When the story ends, his thoughts may be different (I can't give too much away), but at this point his main focus is what will make him sleep better at night.

I also think things with Itachi will be cleared up in the next chapter. I don't want to give too much away, but I definitely tried to close the story as well as possible.

But thank you SO MUCH for reading this far and letting me know what you think. I hope I clear up any questions you had/will have :)

**LostLonelyLies**: After the end of this story, I will be going back and reviewing and writing commentary on each chapter. I'm sure I left a bunch of holes in the story, and would like to clear them up afterwards even if I could not do so in the inital writing. In the same commentary I will be posting ideas for sequels, so I could get a yay/nay vote on whether or not I should actually write one.

How she feels about Sasuke is hard for me to write, and it has been since I first started writing the murder-truth-destructionofkohana-arc. At the end of chapter sixteen, I attempted to explain her reasoning (rather badly, I may add).

To sum it up, at this part of the series Sasuke is basically threatening to destroy Kohana. While Itachi lived his life for Sasuke, he only did that because he had given up everything else for the village. When Shin told Madara that Itachi lost either way, she wasn't saying it to be selfish. She was saying it because if Sasuke lived, Kohana would fall, and if Kohana was to remain safe, Sasuke would have to perish. Itachi lost because he believed his brother would be as good as he was, and Shin had taken it upon herself to fix Itachi's mistake. To her the sum of the village is worth more than Sasuke's life.

Is there envy for him? Yes, of course there is. But at this point Shin is so accustom to sacrificing everything for others that she is able to ignore it. However, like I said in my above response, her breaking point is coming.

The last time she saw Itachi (please correct me if I'm wrong, I may have mixed these up in my head) was before she killed herself. After she returns, she knows the truth, and her love is formed from the relief that came with it.

The important thing to remember is that as a child, Shin barely spoke to other people. Her foster mother had subconsciously trained her to bottle her emotions inside, and therefore her voice. Itachi was the first person to get Shin to truly speak and open up to someone, and he was the first person to show Shin any sort of care. Childhood attachments are often harder to break than those formed as adults, and they are the most illogical.

Shin's hatred for Itachi started with him trying to kill her, and turned to resentment because his attempt at her life awakened the side of her that she couldn't control; in her eyes, Itachi took away her humanity. (the journal entry in chapter 3 speaks of this) So when she found out the truth, she realized that he hadn't tried to hurt her; he hadn't wanted to leave her, and he had cared about her even though he had claimed that he hadn't. His attempt to fool her into believing that he never truly cared for her was diminished because he had strategically placed the massacre on a night he was certain she would be gone from the village.

I agree completely with the statement that if I grew up lonely and unloved, and the one person I thought would love me actually did, I'd want him to myself. But the problem is Shin's morality and humanity IS connected to being a shinobi; to her, sacrifice is the only way to redeem herself for what she is, and who she has to become FOR Itachi (which will be explained more in this chapter I hope).

The thing with Itachi and Shin's relationship is that it isn't a relationship at all. Itachi is and forever will be the perfect shinobi; his love for her is unimportant because his love for Sasuke was the only selfish act he was allowed. His love can be seen in the little moments; again, him placing the massacre strategically to avoid making her a loose end, him refusing to kill her even though she had basically set her life in his hands after following him and Kisame after their first appearance in Kohana, and the moments where his composure slipped with Hidan, or when he brought her food after she trapped herself in the bathroom for days. Itachi's love could only be portrayed in moments that weren't permitted from the start. I should have definitely made those moments clearer, but that can always be revised later.

Shin WILL get the closure she needs, I promise you. It's coming soon. :)

Like I said above, Hidan IS coming back! There's no way I could leave that part hanging.

Thank you so much for your constant reviewing, it's made me strive to post as much as I can.

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><p><strong>Chapter Eighteen: Terrible Things<strong>

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><p>Until we have seen someone's darkness we don't really know who they are. Until we have forgiven someone's darkness, we don't really know what love is<p>

-Marianne Williamson

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><p>When Sasuke awoke he spoke of vengeance, though it took him longer to heal than he would have liked. News of Kohana's destruction had passed, which left Sasuke with a sick taste in his stomach. He wanted to be the one that destroyed them, that burnt the village to the ground. He was surprised to see Shin's expression; the agony in her face was pitiful, and the relief of the news that Pein had restored everyone's lives was even more so.<p>

Madara gave them the news that the Kage summit was coming soon, and Danzou had been appointed as Hokage for this time of desperation. They would set out of it in two days time, leaving Madara behind. Sasuke would owe no favors.

"Where do your loyalties lie?" Sasuke asked as he threw his Akatsuki cloak into the fire.

"With killing Danzou," Shin responded. "Once he is gone, I will leave here."

_Once he is gone, I will kill you._

Shin was the distraction. Better yet, she was the main event.

The Kage's gathered around the table, each one too focused on arguing with each other rather than actually resolving anything. All eyes were wide as the ceiling collapsed before them, the girl on fire landing in the middle of the round table with her red cape flowing behind her.

Gaara's sand restricted her, but only long enough to allow the others to escape. Danzou ran like the coward he was; the others, however, lingered behind to aid the young Kage until they were pushed out of the way by the sand themselves.

He was convinced that they were the same; she was a jinjurichi, she was confused and lonely, but she only laughed at his attempt to calm her.

"I'm not a jinjurichi, little boy," she said as she slashed through his sand. "I'm just a demon."

After the thiry minute period had passed, she disappeared from Gaara's sight in attempt to find Sasuke. She walked in just as Danzou and Karin fell to the ground.

"Shin," Sasuke said, staring at her. "It's done."

She smirked.

"Yes," she replied, lifting her sword in front of her face. "It is."

Sasuke's eyes widened as she charged. She was surprised at his ability to defend himself against her - he was so weak in the forest, she had half expected him to be the same now. But he was caught off guard then, and now he was ready.

"Why are you doing this!?" He asked as their katanas clashed. They both picked up on the other chakra's rushing towards them, but they paid no mind.

"You killed him," she practically screamed, her eyes glowing a bright red. "You killed him and never even bothered to ask why."

"I didn't know - "

"And neither did I!" She said, ducking and swinging a kick to his knees. He jumped back just in time to miss her foot, landing on the other end of the ground. She charged at him, s winging her katana furiously.

Their katana's clashed again. Sasuke reached into his pocket and flung a kunai passed her. Shin turned to see a familiar pink hair shinobi rushing towards them. She remembered her from the cabin.

"Stay out of this," Shin called towards her. "You'll only get hurt."

They danced around each other until Naruto arrived. Sasuke kicked her down, but she managed to get up quickly. She didn't charge, only stood with her signature look; her head was half cocked, her pointed teeth were showing, and her eyes were glowing a bright red.

She stomped.

The ground below all of them started to shake.

She stomped again.

"This is between me and him," her voice was dark, almost demonic. "Stay the hell out of my - "

The ground stopped shaking. Her eyes stopped glowing.

The world around her grew black as her soul.

* * *

><p>When she awoke she was in a white room.<p>

There was a needle in one arm and a cuff on the other. There was a monitor behind her beeping every four seconds. Her head was pounding and she felt as if she could pass back out any second.

There was a blur of pink beside her.

"I'm sorry," the blur said. "The IV is a precaution. We weren't sure whose side you were on. You're name is Shin, right? You were the girl who went after Orochimaru during our first chuunin exams."

Shin nodded slowly.

"My name is Sakura. I've been taking care of you... I'm sorry it's not very comfortable here. Our main hospital was destroyed during the Akatsuki's attack..."

Shin didn't respond.

"Do you need anything? Water? Food?"

"Why are you being so nice to me?"

Sakura was taken aback at her bluntness.

"Until Tsunade-sama decides whether or not you are a threat to Kohana, there's no point in treating you like one. Besides," Sakura tapped the IV bag that was attached to the needle in her arm. "This is enough restraint to keep you down for the time being."

Shin nodded.

"How did you know what hurts me?"

"Kakashi mentioned a senbon-like weapon Orochimaru had created to keep you down. There was dried blood on the cabin, and we used it to create this. We didn't put enough in the IV to hurt you, only to slow you down. I hope you understand."

"I do."

They didn't talk much after that. Sakura's shift eventually ended and she was switched out by a young nurse who wasn't exactly as welcoming as the pinkette. She said nothing to Shin, only changed out her IV and accompanied her with a few dirty looks.

It was days before she saw a familiar face. Sakura would visit every now and then, but they hadn't known much of each other beforehand so there wasn't much they could say to each other.

She had expected Tsunade to be her first visitor; for some reason, Kakashi had never come to mind. She had unknowingly blocked out his presence to avoid her growing guilt.

He had knocked twice before entering the room. Shin was reminiscing about the first time she had actually been put in a hospital, how Kirin had magically appeared after Itachi had stabbed through her chest. How childish she had been to never once suspect the raven.

Shin grabbed her chest. Ever since she had died, the burning had wondered if there had been any burning to begin with, or if the pain in her chest had been caused by the emotion ache in her heart rather than just a physical one.

"How are you feeling, Shin-chan?" her old friend asked, walking towards her. "I apologize for knocking you out earlier. I hope you realize I didn't have much choice."

She nodded.

"Why are you here, Kakashi?"

"Is it really so awful to see an old friend?"

"If I remember correctly... the last time we saw each other wasn't exactly under friendly circumstances."

"Yes, they weren't. Would you like to explain that?"

He continued when she didn't respond. "I know you owe no explanations, Shin. But I would really like to be on your side when it comes to presenting your case to the Hokage and council members."

Shin sighed and pulled her knees up to her chin. She motioned towards the end of the bed for Kakashi to sit.

"I was captured by Orochimaru on the mission before my death. Akatsuki saved me. I was kept in their care for months before I went back to the snake and asked him to kill me."

The way she spoke of the events so calmly sent shivers up his spine. He wanted to ask her why, but he knew she would get to the point just as she always had. Instead he waited patiently like the perfect shinobi he was. Shin wondered if him and Itachi had ever been even so much as acquaintances, or if Kohana's teachings were so great as to mold perfection with each passing generation.

"Sasuke resurrected me. If you're wondering how, that's a secret I can never let pass. Have you ever heard of a woman named Reikyo?"

When Kakashi shook his head she continued on with her story.

She spoke of her mother and her affair. She fell in love with the most powerful demon there was, and was executed for it. The third was the only one who knew that the woman had a child, and as redemption for the sins his village had commited he protected her. She was put in foster care immediately, and given to a woman who the Hokage could trust with his biggest secret. By the age of five she had entered the academy and befriended the village's most prideful prodigy. This led to an insane attachment she had not known had formed until he tried to kill her.

Her voice rose with every syllable as she explained the massacre - the full, uncut version including the Hokage, council members,and all. She explained how afterwards she had run away from the village, afraid of casuing harm to anyone because of the insane power she couldn't control. She explained the cabin, and her father. She told him of Orochimaru and how he kept her prisoner for almost a year.

"It was why they had this poison at the chuunin exams," Shin said, nodding her head towards the IV. "Orochimaru gave it to them."

She explained how she had been injured during the first week of her mission. How Ayame had found her in the woods with the same poison and had saved her and Itachi and her were reunited once again.

"Under my drugged up state I really thought we could resolve everything," she explained. "But he wouldn't have it. I see now that if we had, it would have destroyed the plan he had worked his entire life for."

She explained how Orochimaru had found her not even a day after she left Ayame's care. She explained how Akatsuki had saved her under orders from her father, but she specifically left her affair with Hidan out of it.

And then she explained the underworld in all it's gory details. She told him of her rise to power, about how she found out the truth, and how her father had tricked Sasuke into bringing her back so he could reclaim his kingdom. She explained how she had only don it to save Itachi's soul, how he deserved redemption in the after life even if it meant they would never see each other again. .

Then she explained her relationship with Sasuke and how her objective to kill him was purely because of his plans for Kohana. She needed to protect Kohana from him, because Itachi sacrificed everything for the village and it could not go in vain.

"Do you resent him?" Kakashi asked after he was sure she was finished.

"For what?"

"For choosing Sasuke over you. For choosing the village over you."

"If I resented him for being good," Shin responded quietly. "I would simply resent him out of jealousy."

Was he not going to accuse her of lying? Was he not going to scream at her for all she had done? Was he not going to cower in fear of the devil child sitting before him? Of the murdering demon who would soon reap the souls of all that walked the earth?

He wasn't.

"If the Hokage pardons you, what are your plans?"

Shin smiled.

"To die."

* * *

><p><em>Both Kakashi and Tsunade think I am mad, and if it was not for the pounding in the back of my head reminding me that they could never possibly understand, I may actually believe them.<em>

_Kakashi had gone straight to Tsunade after visiting me. I was surprised to see her not even three hours later, barging into my room and demanding answers from me. Did I understand the accusations I had made against the previous Hokage and the council members? Did I understand that my mere existence could cause Kohana to crumble from the inside? Did I understand that there was so much life to live?_

_I filled in the holes of my story for her, and she soon accepted all of it as truth. Apparently, she had known my mother; they had been friends before and during the affair with my father, and Tsunade holds a small ounce of guilt for her passing. She wants to protect me, but she cannot give neighboring villages reason to doubt Kohana at a time like this._

_It was when she asked of my relationship with Itachi did the walls around me begin to crumble. _

_It was easy to tell Kakashi what had happened to me, because we grew so close within the four walls that created our home. Not only is Tsunade different, but her questions were different; how did I feel for the man who gave everything for Kohana, for Sasuke, but gave nothing to me? How did he feel for me?_

_She feels like I should resent Kohana like I resent Sasuke. She can't afford an inside threat at a time like this. _

_I told her the same thing Sarutobi told me the first time I returned to the Village; _

_If you protect Kohana, Kohana will protect you._

_She wants to know what I could possibly need protection from now that Orochimaru is gone, and I could feel the tension ease in her shoulders and watched as the relief flooded through her entire body upon my answer: _

_Kohana has already protected me, it's my turn to protect it. _

_My resolve to die is not as it used to be._

_Before I wanted to die because I could not bring myself to bring harm to those on this earth. I was brought up with the ideals of protecting Kohana, not destroying it, and I feared that each day that passed I could only bring more destruction upon people._

_My resolve to die is not out of self pity, and it is not because somebody I loved is now gone. I won't be with him in the afterlife, dying would not serve us justice. My resolve to die is simple:_

_I will regain my kingdom, I will banish my father, and I will find my mother's soul and make sure she goes to the same place Itachi does._

_She will be redeemed for her sins._

_As will all of Kohana for the pain they have caused._

* * *

><p>Shin's assimilation back into Kohana was a rough one.<p>

She had cut her hair to the tips of her ears with the help of Sakura and Shizune's chakra, dyed it a bright blonde. If the citizens of Kohana saw their protector alive and well, it would stir up controversy and inner conflict in an already tough time. The village was only just being rebuilt, and citizens got first pick of the apartment complexes and housing units that were being put up. Therefore, shinobi and kunoichi alike got their pick of tents and duty shacks.

Shin didn't have much choice but to once again accept her roll in the shinobi world. Though her resolve was to die, she was not against staying alive long enough to help Kohana rebuild. Madara was still out there, and with the information she had provided to Tsunade they were able to keep a front line alert at all times for any sign of attack from him or the younger Uchiha.

Shin began by becoming Tsunade's right hand ANBU agent. She received a new mask, one that did not take the features of an animal. The face was detailed, red and white, and the intricate lines formed the face of an open mouthed dog demon. A shishi, a protector; the mouth-opened dog let the evil spirits out, while it's counterpart kept the good spirits in.

Weeks passed and the world began to fall into place. There were times where Shin was actually happy, where she would sit on the top of the hospital and watch the sunset and forget about Itachi for a short amount of time. She would forget of his needs, forget her plans, and just mesh into the world again.

But it was when she looked at her comrades and saw the stress lines that formed on their faces, their dirty clothes and tired eyes that she remembered what she was fighting for, and she remembered what Itachi had worked his entire life for.

She could not get distracted by the beauty of nature or how she felt when Kakashi would leave his duties to have a short conversation with her as she patrolled the village. She could not forget everything Itachi had done, and all the pain her father had caused. She had a bigger purpose.

Was it so horrible to be selfish?

Was it so horrible to think of herself for once?

She could be happy here, she could live just as they used to, each of them switching off on missions and spending as much time together as possible. They could have a home again, could live in peace, and maybe she could have actually been happy. But it was an idealistic sense of self-worth that she did not have. She wasn't worthy of that happiness. Her genes were far too cruel for that.

So when the gongs of war started, she was almost relieved -

this was her purpose.


	19. Of Love and Sacrifice

**Authors Note: **One more chapter and the story is finished. That is all I have to say. (I'm getting a little teary) (It will also be uploaded within the next two hours)

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Nineteen: Of Love and Sacrifice<strong>

* * *

><p>There will always be that first true love. The one that never really worked out but you kept your hopes up too much. The one who got away. The one who taught you all you need to know about love. And the one that until now, is still the one you look back to whenever you try to love again.<p>

- Unknown

* * *

><p>There is an end to every beginning, and a beginning to every end.<p>

* * *

><p>It was Shin's team who took the initiative to rally the citizens of Kohana.<p>

Yuji and Dei had unknowingly been assigned under their old captain, and while this was a bold move for Tsunade, it was also the most effective. The two men were comfortable fighting along side her, and knew her fighting style like the back of their hands. If there were reporcusions for revealing the truth to them, then so be it. They were effective in the time of war and Tsunade would deal with the aftermath on her own terms.

They didn't believe it at first - that she was back, but they soon fell into routine. Her skills proved it to them; the line of fire she could draw with a single breath was enough to convince them. To them, her death was used as a cover up for a failed mission; they would never know what really happened, and it was for the best.

"Group one, over there," Yuji called behind his mask as the women and children began lining up in front of him. Group one was the men, which Dei would take care of, and Group two was the women and children, which he was responsible for. Shin was waiting on top of a light post, waiting for whichever enemies came their was to be no mercy, no fighting; if someone looked like an enemy, they would be burnt to a crisp before reaching the citizen's lines.

There was a snap, a scream, and then the smell of burning flesh. There were cries from the children as they witnessed a man turned to ash in front of them. She bit her lip in remorse, which was all of the apology she could give them. Would they rather die, or deal with the nightmares that came with living?

It continued like this for what felt like hours. Shin didn't have to move from her spot on the light post to completely obliterate anyone who came towards Kohana's citizens. A flick of the wrist, and they were done. Her two teammates almost didn't believe it at first, that she was just that good. She had always been above them, especially for her age, but she had somehow excelled more than ever before.

It was when almost all of the citizens had been moved to the safe areas that she was taken off guard. Three things happened:

There was a shriek, a small fit of laughter, and then a gust of wind.

Shin stood up from her crouched position, looking over towards the forest and waiting to incinerate whatever person or thing decided to come out of that forest.

Two trees fell down. The first thing she saw was the glimmer of metal.

With narrow eyes the woman removed her mask and stared straight into violet eyes.

"I will ask you one more time," Hidan shouted, throwing his scythe to the ground. "Will you marry me?"

Shin grinned with pointed teeth, turning back towards her teammates and giving a thumbs up. The two nodded and continued moving the last group of citizens to the safe areas as the woman jumped down from her post and landed in front of the serial murderer.

He almost flinched when her hand touched the place where his heart should have been, a sad smile coming to her face as her eyes traced over the stitches that aligned his body. He was immortal, therefore he could not die unless he chose to, but that did not stop the people of this world from tearing him apart.

"No," she said, her dark eyes connecting with his once more. "I won't marry you."

"Figures," he replied, reaching out and grabbing the ruby ring that was tied around her neck. "What's the plan?"

Shin looked behind her, short locks of blonde falling in her face as she did so. She waited for Yuji's signal before picking up her mask and placing it back on her face.

"I need to find Kakashi," she said, tying the mask and kicking up Hidan's scythe. The man caught it without a second glance. "And then we're going to find Madara and stop the Edo Tensei."

* * *

><p>They were flying through the trees.<p>

The branches broke beneath their feet but they stopped for nothing.

Pakkun was skeptical at first. Shin had hidden Hidan far off from Kakashi and the others purposely, whch set the dog on edge but he could understand it. Hidan's presence would stir the Kohana shinobi like no other, especially after the death of Asuma, which would only turn them on Shin. Shin, who was supposed to be the Hokage's right hand and Kohana's protector, would become an enemy and the village's fighting force would split at the drop of a dime.  
>But that didn't explain why the shinobi was here, or why he was following the woman's orders like a lost puppy. The dog didn't question it much; if Kakashi trusted her, then he would as well.<p>

"So, whats the plan?" Hidan asked, cutting through the trees in front of her in order to clear a path.

"We're going to kill him," Shin said, as if killing Madara would be the simplest thing in the world. "And then we're going to stop this war."

"You're not making much sense, Shinwari," he replied shortly. Shin didn't bother explaining herself further.

She had gone to Kakashi to ensure Tsunade's safety and asking for Pakkun's tracking abilities. Shin was the only one from Kohana who had gotten close to Madara, therefore it made perfect sense for her to be the one to track him. Kakashi would be sent out soon, but there were a few minor wounds Tsunade had to take care of first. Shin and Pakkun would go, and Kakashi and a small team of ANBU would catch up. It sounded simple enough.

But like most things in the young woman's life, simplicity didn't come often. Hidan's presence was enough to deter the mission, and while she knew she could trust him to follow her orders the rest of Kohana could not. But she needed him, because Hidan had lived with Madara long enough to know some of his quirks, even if it was a split personality he had been dealing with.

Not to mention the man couldn't die, which was one less casualty on her hands. If Hidan was the only trouble Shin had to deal with, she would have been sighing in relief rather than screaming at Hidan to go on ahead as a chakra presence flashed before her her.

"What's wrong? Why - "

"Just. Go."

Her voice was deadly, and the man only nodded in response and sprinted off ahead. Pakkun waited for her orders, which were to follow Hidan and continue on the mission.

Shin jumped from the trees, raising both her arms as she did so. Her eyes were glowing a bright red as the vines around her began to coil, trapping the owner of the chakra signature and pulling them towards her.

She lifted her mask above her head. She could have sworn her heart stopped beating as she stared at the coal eyes of the man she had given everything for.

The man struggled against the vines, but it was of no use. Somehow the woman had managed to transfer the strength of her chakra into them. He could feel the emptiness of his chest, the decaying heart that was his aching at the sight of her. She had cut all of her hair off and dyed it a bright blonde, which only made her glowing red eyes seem more menacing. She was as small as he remembered, maybe a bit smaller, which wasn't a surprise to him. He remembered how hard it was to get her to eat; she didn't need food to survive, so she assumed she did not need it at all.

"How?" he asked, his voice cracking. He had yet to speak since he had been resurrected. He was too busy trying to avoid people, in order to avoid the curse Madara had sprung on him. He was conscious, but his body was not; had it not been for the vines wrapping around his body, he would have already attacked the woman in front of him. "How are you alive?"

"Kirin was supposed to tell you everything as soon as I died," she said, ignoring his question altogether. "I know now that my Father had been impersonating her the entire time, controlling this world like a puppet. Kind of like you, huh?"

He was taken back by the accusation, the comparison of him to her father. He stared at her as she closed her open palms, the vines around him tightening as she did.

She owed him no answers.

But he owed her everything.

* * *

><p><em>A girl stares at herself in a pond and paints her face for the noble war. She wears her white mask of hatred and her lips are so red it's a shame she didn't paint them with her own blood. Instead, it is the blood of hundreds of others that have dug themselves deep into her soul and taken root. The branches of fallen soldiers pour from the roots of her hair and set flames to the world before her.<em>

_There are silver tears falling from sockets where her eyes should be. There is a pounding in her chest that cannot be silenced until the last breath leaves her lips, which will take far longer than any normal lifespan. _

_The world has awoken and the war has begun._

_She takes her final bow before the mask is removed and the plot begins to spin._

* * *

><p>"Shin, we don't have time. You have to -"<p>

"No," she said. "I don't have to do anything."

"Shin - "

"Itachi," her voice was dark and deadly, and the man quickly closed his mouth. He wondered if she understood what she would have to do in order to stop him, if she understood that the minute his body was free from these vines it would be his main objective to kill her. The jutsu was so powerful even he had yet to find a way around it, and how was he supposed to do that if she kept him here?

He did not realize he had spoken aloud until the vines around him dropped and he fell to the ground.

The resurrected man looked up at her with confusion as his body pulled himself up and towards her. Her glowing red eyes had turned back to their normal coal color, and her lips were quivering in such a way that he did not know whether or not she was about to cry or laugh hysterically.

He raised his fist to strike, but she had managed to move in front of him in less than a second. She wrapped her arms around his waist and pulled him close to her, her lips lingering on top of his for a brief second before she flipped him onto his back.

"You're dead, Itachi. You are not supposed to do anything except listen to me, do you understand?"

He was up in a moment and charged at her, hitting her in the middle of the cheek and watching with sad eyes as she hit the nearest tree.

"Please, Shin-chan. Understand that I cannot control my movements," he said as she sat up, rubbing her cheek and letting out a maniacal laugh. He was charging again, but she did not move. The woman simple sat there as he hit her over and over again, eventually fracturing her collar bone and breaking a few in her face.

"Shin, please. Fight back," his voice was strained and desperate, but she just sat there, waiting for him to finish her off. This was redemption. This was sanctuary. This was love.

The woman's eyes grew three times their size as Itachi's fist stopped barely a centimeter from her bloody face, his other hand gripping onto it with as much force as he could manage.

"Did you..." she asked as his hand let go of his wrist and his arm dropped to his side. "Did you just break the Edo-Tensei?"

* * *

><p><em>Do not fight your demons. <em>

_Sit down with your demons, speak with your demons, sleep with your demons. Learn their names and talk about all of the weapons that were twisted into their guts in order to create the monsters that grew from their souls. _

_Victim complexes are not attractive or reputable. _

_People will not love you because you are sad. They are not going to care for you, kiss your wrists or massage your aching bones. They are not going to cure you of the depression fate has cased you. Wake up. Bathe in the sunshine. Smell the flowers. You must be your own hero. _

_Sadness is not poetic and depression is not beautiful. If you do not want to save yourself, what makes you think anyone else will want to save you?_

* * *

><p>Itachi reached out slowly, taking a moment to make sure the curse had been broken before removing a strand of blond hair from Shin's face and tucking it behind her ears. He watched as the tears began to flow down her cheeks, and listened as a small sob made it's way up from her chest to her throat.<p>

"Shin," he spoke finally. "I must find Madara."

She grabbed his wrist as if begging him not to go, but the look on her face was more assertive than any action. Itachi felt a tug at his wasting heart and he knew he did not want to leave her.

"We can't be selfish," he said, trying to tug away from her but she was too strong.

"Why not, Itachi?" she said his name with venom. "Why can't we be selfish for once? Why can't we get what we want? Or is this just me wanting this, not us? Just to live with each othe a little bit longer? Just to be _near_ each other? Please," she coughed, and the man watched as drops of blood began to trickle down her chin.

She almost gasped as he crouched over so that the two of them were eye level. He grabbed her chin, forcing the woman to look into his eyes. She hesitated at first, thinking that this was once again another trick and the sharigan would put her under a spell, but his eyes remained black as he leaned in and kissed her.

"It's not just you, Shin," he whispered, pulling away from her slowly. "In a perfect world, we would have been able to live our lives as normal people. In a perfect world, we would end up together until the ends of time. But the world is not perfect, so we must do our best to make up for the imperfections. I..." he paused, wiping her cheeks with his tumb. Her lips had stopped quivering. "I want to thank you for not taking Sasuke's path, for always having faith in Kohana..."

"It wasn't Kohana I had faith in, Itachi," she said, cutting him off. "It was you.."

Itachi sighed, his fingers gripping hers tightly. He knew their time was cutting short, that he should have found Madara already and deactivated the jutsu so that his body could continue rotting in the ground and so his soul could finally cross over.

"We'll see each other in the afterlife, Shin-chan. But now... we have to go."

Her next words were enough to silence him as the world around them stopped spinning.

"No, Itachi. We won't."

This was redemption. This was sanctuary. This was love.

This was sacrifice.

Shin grabbed his hand and intertwined their fingers, a small smile working its way up to her lips. She would have been crying if there was any room left for it, but there wasn't. She knew he was right, that they had to leave, that they had to stop Madara. But they didn't necessarily mean him and her; he could do it on his own, or with the help of Hidan, or even with the help of Kakashi. Kakashi, who knew the truth behind the massacre, would trust Itachi with whatever necessary.

"I twisted fate," she said, her cracked cheeks tightening as her smile widened. "You're going to soar with the angels, Itachi Uchiha. I've made sure of it."

Redemption. Sanctuary. Love.

The words kept spinning in her head as she asked for one final favor.

"Now, Itachi Uchiha. Will you kill me, or not?"


	20. Girl of Nightmares

**Chapter Twenty: Girl of Nightmares  
><strong>

* * *

><p><em>Why is it always the woman who has to see past the beast in the man? Why does she always have to clean his wounds, even after he damaged her beyond repair? Why is it always the man who is worth of forgiveness, for being a monster?<em>

_I want to see in the beast in the beauty. The half smile, half snarl. I would like to see the man forgive the monster, to see her, blood and all._

_And love her anyway._

_- Beauty and the Beast _

* * *

><p>Sasuke Uchiha sees the reaper in his dreams.<p>

She only comes up to the bottom of his nose. She is so skinny her bones seem to poke out from underneath her skin, begging to breathe. Her hair is blood red and her eyes are as black as his soul. She is covered in a red cloak, one that wraps around her entire body.

In the beginning her hood is up, covering her face. He knows who she is, but he can't remember her name. He goes to fight her. She's an enemy, she has to be. They all are. Everyone.

His hit is aimed for her face, but a barrier of fire surrounds her and burns his hand. He grabs his wrist as he is thrown back by a gust of wind.

One of her hands comes out from underneath her cloak. There is a small ball of fire forming in her palm, and he is greeted by a strong sense of deja vu.

She throws the flames, but not at him. It hits the floor beneath her feet, and she disappears in it. He thinks he is safe. Thinks he is free.

But when he stands up and turns around, she is there. Her cloak is gone. She is wearing a white dress. It hugs her body and reaches past her feet.

He stares into black eyes as she reaches for him. She is closer now, and two words hang on his tongue as she wraps her arms around his neck and brings her face to him.

He closes his eyes to embrace the kiss, but it never comes.

When he opens them, he sees the reaper standing at the other end of the blank void. Her hand is out, waiting for something.

Sasuke watches as a pale hand grabs the lady of death, bringing her closer and muttering the words.

_I'm sorry._

Itachi's red eyes are the last thing the boy sees before he wakes up.

* * *

><p><em>Shin, <em>

_I have placed your dog companion in charge of making sure you receive this, and your body will disintegrate the moment the Edo-Tensei is deactivated, meaning you will never be able to respond to this letter in order to make this our final goodbye._

_I am a liar in the best sense of the term, and I cannot apologize for it. I will not twist my words to persuade you into forgiving me for what I have done. I can't help but think if maybe some day you could have forgiven me for what I've done, that maybe I would give up this insane path and... _

_I can't bring forth false hope. The world is too cruel._

_So instead of filling this letter with the "what-ifs" and "what could have beens," I'll fill it with what is. _

_I have always prided myself in my ability to give to others what I could never give to myself. I have given Kohana the gift of peace, I have given Sasuke a will, and I have given Akatsuki my strength. But when it came to you, I could give you nothing... because it meant I would be taking away from those I must live for. I had to let you go because I feared that I would give into the selfish wants of this world and take both you and myself away from this God awful place and just... _

_I was a fool, and after death I still am. Madara tells me the world is set a certain way, but I know now that you can twist the world the way you see just. You had the power to kill me yet you remained faithful through your anger, always believing that there was something more. How could I have been so lucky to have someone like you following my will even after I passed? Even after I did nothing to help you and absolutely everything to destroy you? How could an angel like you love a demon like me? _

_There are no words to describe how I felt placing the curse seal on your neck. When you asked me to kill you, I almost denied you again, but I realized how much crueler that would make me. How can I deny you the peace of death when I had spent my entire life working towards my own? How can I deny you what you truly desire when you did everything for my redemption in the afterlife. _

_You told me we will never be together, but I cannot believe that to be true. You sacrificed just as much as I did, if not more. If I am worthy of goodness, you should have it thrown at your feet. And if fate really is as cruel as it seems and I cannot find you where I am, I am sorry to inform you that I will do everything in my power to find you._

_I will search the entire universe until I find you and we can finally get our true redemption. Our sanctuary. Our love. The payment for our sacrifice. _

_This is our path, it always has been. _

_We have done all we could for the world and it is time to do all we can for each other._

_You will forever haunt my nightmares, and you will forever haunt my heart. _

_I love you, Shinwari. __In another life we could have been perfect._

**_FIN._**


	21. Authors Note

N8mmmmmmmmmGood morning/afternoon (wherever you are in the world):

I'd like to say THANK YOU to everyone who has read and reviewed this story, and has definitely given me the courage to keep writing. I just wanted to say that as of now, **there will not be a sequel. **This may change in the future, but as of now the only two stories I am working on is Lalin and Valhalla. If you want to read something that is updated more often, I suggest **Lalin **(Sasuke-Oc centric). Valhalla is definitely one of my more mushy stories, but it's currently on hiatus until I figure out how to continue it.

Thank you so much again to everyone! If a status on the sequel changes, I will let all of you know. :)

ALSO, though I am currently balances two jobs (one four-eight shift a week and the other whenever they call me in) I do have some spare time since I'm not going to school. If there is ANYTHING you guys have been working on and would like me to read, leave the link and a short summary in the review or PM me. I'd love to check it out.

- Kiinchu


	22. SEQUEL

Hello my darlings,

So I have possible ideas for a sequel/rewrite. I need opinions before I invest my time in this however, so here are the options I've come up with:

1) A sequel in a different world. Right now, the only one I could see as a possibility would be a Naruto/Inuyasha crossover only because of the existence of demons in the Inuyasha-written world. The only problem with this is if my readers have seen/read both stories.

2) A re-write of this story in far more detail that connects not only this story, but two of my others as well (Valhalla and Lalin). This would mean that both stories (which are currently on hiatus) will be re-written as well. (Lalin is up for debate whether or not I will continue the storyline, just because of Sasuke/Sakura becoming cannon. I may make Lalin a back-story for when Sasuke and Sakura were separated, but the ending has already been ruined - and the entire Naruto movie revolving around the Moon itself is making it really difficult to go on with it.)

OR

3) A collaboration of one-shot mini stories between Shin/Itachi as children, Shin/Kakashi, Shin with the Akatsuki, Shin with her foster mother, and even Shin's father and Reikyo stories.

Please let me know what you think!


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